'Ideological differences averted grand alliance in Bengal'

In an exclusive interview to ETV Bharat, CPI(ML)’s national general secretary, Dipankar Bhattacharya said that while CPI(ML) is focusing solely on opposing BJP throughout the country, in West Bengal the Left Front- Congress alliance is identifying Trinamool Congress and BJP as “equally dangerous enemies”.

Kolkata:Sharp ideological differences with Left Front in West Bengal, especially the front leader, CPI(M), has prompted CPI(ML) to keep itself away from any kind of grand alliance similar in line with what happened in form of an anti- BJP grand alliance in the recently concluded Bihar elections.

In an exclusive interview to ETV Bharat, CPI(ML)’s national general secretary, Dipankar Bhattacharya said that while CPI(ML) is focusing solely on opposing BJP throughout the country, in West Bengal the Left Front- Congress alliance is identifying Trinamool Congress and BJP as “equally dangerous enemies”.

“To some extent, the Congress- Left alliance is identifying Trinamool Congress as a bigger threat in West Bengal. In Bihar, the grand alliance was possible because all forces in the alliance concentrated on opposing BJP and its allies in Bihar. In Bihar BJP and its ally, JD(U) was in power and hence the scope for the grand alliance was there. But in West Bengal, things are not the same. So in such a situation, we felt that it will not be wise to be part of such an alliance in Bengal and instead we decided to move alone in the forthcoming Bengal elections,” Bhattacharya told ETV Bharat.

When asked specifically whether CPI(ML) does not consider Trinamool Congress as an equal enemy like that of BJP, Bhattacharya said that they do not.

“In the current situation, no other party is as dangerous and as harmful as that of BJP. Why only Trinamool Congress? Even in the current situation, CPI(M) is not considering Congress as equally harmful like that of BJP, despite Congress’s records of emergency and black days in Bengal during the Siddhartha Shankar Roy regime,” Bhattacharya said.

He said that the West Bengal is currently undergoing through a critical political phase.

“We don’t want the BJP to come to power in Bengal. The Left Front- Congress alliance is not in a position right now to grab power in West Bengal. The sincerity with which CPI(ML) is opposing BJP, the same is not reflected in the case of Left Front- Congress alliance. So consciously we refrained from being a part of the grand alliance,” said Bhattacharya.

He also said that on February 8, CPI(ML) will hold a citizens’ convention in Kolkata from where the party’s charter for West Bengal will be released.