Marxists keen to stop BJP from coming to power

The Leftist camp, led by the Communist Party of India (Marxists) that heads a coalition government in West Bengal, has suddenly become hyper-active with the rout of Chandrababu Naidu's Telugu Desam Party (TDP) government and the thumping victory of the Congress.

Responding to the results in Andhra Pradesh, the former chief minister of West Bengal and one of the senior-most politburo members of the CPM, Jyoti Basu, said that his party would provide all support towards formation of a Congress-led coalition government at the centre.

"We don't want the BJP (Bharatiya Janata Party) to come back to power again," said the veteran Communist categorically.

He described Naidu as a "betrayer" because in 1999 the Andhra Pradesh chief minister had allegedly switched from the secular Left camp to the BJP.

"Naidu did this despite being the convener of the 12-party united front. He did not join the BJP government but he was enjoying all advantages from the BJP," Basu recalled and went on to say that the "wheel has come full circle for Naidu with the reversal of fortunes". The voice of the Left seems to be gaining increasing importance in the national political scenario in view of the fact that it is going to fetch close to 30 Lok Sabha seats from West Bengal alone. The figure is expected to go up to 45-50 with other candidates expected to win from two others states – Kerala and Tripura – where the Communists have a fairly large presence.

One more reason why the Communists have become a force to reckon with is its long experience of running a coalition government.

Jyoti Basu made no bones about the fact that he and his party had a track record of running a coalition in the state for 27 years without any major hitch between the partners.

And he disclosed that his party had been giving a lesson or two to the Congress in general and to Sonia Gandhi in particular about the "coalition dharma".

First and foremost was the drafting of a common minimum programme for the Congress-led coalition, said Basu.

The political scenario in West Bengal, political pundits say, is at a crossroads and the Congress-Communists combination is bound to throw up new political equations in the state.By Subrata Banerjee

Kolkata The Leftist camp, led by the Communist Party of India (Marxists) that heads a coalition government in West Bengal, has suddenly become hyper-active with the rout of Chandrababu Naidu's Telugu Desam Party (TDP) government and the thumping victory of the Congress.

Responding to the results in Andhra Pradesh, the former chief minister of West Bengal and one of the senior-most politburo members of the CPM, Jyoti Basu, said that his party would provide all support towards formation of a Congress-led coalition government at the centre.

"We don't want the BJP (Bharatiya Janata Party) to come back to power again," said the veteran Communist categorically.

He described Naidu as a "betrayer" because in 1999 the Andhra Pradesh chief minister had allegedly switched from the secular Left camp to the BJP.

"Naidu did this despite being the convener of the 12-party united front. He did not join the BJP government but he was enjoying all advantages from the BJP," Basu recalled and went on to say that the "wheel has come full circle for Naidu with the reversal of fortunes". The voice of the Left seems to be gaining increasing importance in the national political scenario in view of the fact that it is going to fetch close to 30 Lok Sabha seats from West Bengal alone. The figure is expected to go up to 45-50 with other candidates expected to win from two others states – Kerala and Tripura – where the Communists have a fairly large presence.

One more reason why the Communists have become a force to reckon with is its long experience of running a coalition government.

Jyoti Basu made no bones about the fact that he and his party had a track record of running a coalition in the state for 27 years without any major hitch between the partners.

And he disclosed that his party had been giving a lesson or two to the Congress in general and to Sonia Gandhi in particular about the "coalition dharma".

First and foremost was the drafting of a common minimum programme for the Congress-led coalition, said Basu.

The political scenario in West Bengal, political pundits say, is at a crossroads and the Congress-Communists combination is bound to throw up new political equations in the state.