Oppn fumes over CPM move to skip RJD rally

Party divided over joining opp platform

CPM’s decision to skip Sunday’s RJD rally in Patna has caused considerable resentment among the Opposition parties, whose leaders argued that its absence would only enthuse the BJP.

The notable absentees in Lalu’s ‘BJP Bhagao, Desh Bachao’ rally includes Congress leaders Sonia Gandhi and Rahul Gandhi and BSP chief Mayawati.

However, among the Left parties, the CPI has agreed to join the rally.

A senior RJD leader did not mince words when he compared the CPM’s decision to pull out from the rally to the JD(U)’s withdrawal from the Opposition.

The JD(U) backstabbed the Grand Alliance and now the CPM is deserting the opposition ranks at the rally organised at Kumar’s backyard, the RJD leader said.

Sections in the Congress and other parties said the CPM’s decision exposed the internal divisions that came to the fore after its central committee chose not to re-nominate party general secretary Sitaram Yechury to Rajya Sabha.

Sources said the CPM is facing an existential question of whether to “grab the opportunity (to fight the BJP) or let it go”.

“Right now, we are not in a prime position. We need to be seen as relevant and we should use all the opportunities,” a senior CPM leader said.

However, the party’s central leadership wanted to stay away since the rally could be seen as an electoral platform, where sharing stage with “corrupt” politicians would do more harm than good.

This did not cut much ice with some, sources pointed out, who compared staying away from Lalu and the “silent” support to Jaganmohan Reddy in Andhra Pradesh despite him heaping praises on Modi while campaigning for the recent Nandyal bypolls.

A change of approach to join Lalu’s rally could hurt the party’s image, as the CPM is usually seen as the one that sets the narrative.

This is not the first time that the party’s central leadership is squabbling over joining the Opposition programmes. Questions were earlier raised when Yechury was named in Sharad Yadav-led Opposition committee on saving composite culture.