No question of including TMC in Third Front: CPI

The CPI on Tuesday said the party is not in favour of making the Trinamool Congress a partner in the non-Congress and non-BJP alliance.

Veteran CPI leader A B Bardhan has been quoted as saying that West Bengal chief minister Mamata Banerjee may also be considered while discussing an alliance which would keep Narendra Modi out of the prime ministerial post. The statement had created flutter among Left partners

But, he retracted his statement and the CPI Central Secretariat issued a statement to clarify its position. “Several unfounded statements are being attributed to different CPI leaders about the future alliances and constituents of the possible non-Congress non-BJP alliance.

“CPI wishes to make it clear that as far as the TMC led by West Bengal chief minister Mamata Banerjee is concerned, she is actually helping the BJP by polarising the West Bengal voters on communal lines. Her attack on the BJP is a got-up game,” said the statement.  .

Bardhan told Deccan Herald, “There is a no question of considering Mamata’s inclusion in non-Congress non-BJP alliance.” According to sources in Third Front parties, the TMC may be considered for inclusion into an alliance if it gets a good number of seats. The role of a party will largely depend on the number of seats it has won and the TMC may have that advantage.

Many leaders of Third Front parties, including the Biju Janata Dal and the Janata Dal United, enjoy good relationships with the TMC leader. These leaders are likely to pursue for her inclusion. However, for the CPM it would be difficult to accept the Trinamool as ally due to their equation in West Bengal.

The CPI has taken the same line as adopted by the CPM. The CPM has been maintaining that fighting between Modi and Mamata is a shadow-fighting. Party said this is being done in order to polarise votes on communal lines. This is an attempt on the part of the West Bengal chief minister to win back Muslim voters.