'Alliance with Congress a state-level understanding'

Senior leader of the Communist Party of India Atul Anjan said an election pact with the Congress party is an understanding at the state level despite differences between the two sides.

New Delhi: Days after Left Front and Congress came to a pre-poll alliance in West Bengal, senior Communist Party of India (CPI) leader Atul Anjan on Friday told ETV Bharat in an exclusive interview that it's a state-level understanding even through the Left Front has differences with Congress.

"We learnt a lot from the last Lok Sabha election. In West Bengal it's a state-level understanding... though we have differences with Congress," said Anjan.

Asserting that Left Front believes in ideology, Anjan said, "Communalism is a big threat for the country. They (Congress) have understood the issue so we decided to fight the election together."

Read: Trinamool, Congress-LF name candidates for Bengal by-polls

In the 2016 Assembly election, the Left and Congress came together and bagged 76 seats. Even as the Left Front had come to an understanding with the Congress, Anjan said that the party (Congress) needs to introspect about what is going wrong with it.

"Earlier, Congress thought that it will rule the country alone. But since 2009 people started leaving Congress and BJP came to power in 2014. Now, the BJP government at the Centre is destroying the country. They always try to create communal tension," said Anjan.

The CPI leader also came down heavily on the ruling Trinamool Congress (TMC) in West Bengal.

"Previously Mamata Banerjee was with the BJP. She even attended several functions called by former Prime Minister Atal Behari Vajpayee and RSS. TMC should think on its own. They should look into their affairs as many of their top leaders are leaving the party," added Anjan.

Read: Both BJP and Congress share similar sentiment on LDF: Pinarayi Vijayan

It may be mentioned here that in the 2019 Lok Sabha election, there was no understanding between the parties. The Left parties had drawn a blank and the Congress managed to get only two seats out of 42 in the general election.

BJP won 18 seats and TMC 22 in the 2019 Lok Sabha elections.

Along with 3 other states and one Union Territory, the dates for election to 294 member West Bengal Assembly will be announced by the Election Commission on Friday afternoon.

The election commission will announce the dates for election in Assam, Kerala, Tamil Nadu, West Bengal and Puducherry at 4:30 p.m.

"Without our support, there will be no government in West Bengal. Maybe we will form the next government in the state," claimed Anjan.

Read: Congress, Left Front finalise poll deal in 193 seats in West Bengal