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EXPRESS NEWS SERVICE
CALCUTTA, June 6: The Communist Party of India (CPI) has decided to put on hold its decision on whether or not to join Sharad Pawar's Nationalist Congress Party (NCP). During the discussions in the three-day meeting of the National Council of the party on Sunday, the leadership has decided to wait till 10th of this month when Pawar and his group finally hold their meeting to work out their strategy and policies.
"We can only take a final decision on the issue after Pawar formally announces his policies and strategy for the coming general elections, but we have an open mind," said Shameen Faizee, secretary, National Council.When asked if this wasn't going to hurt the party's relationship with the Congress, another secretary of the National Council D Raja said: "We do not have any relation with the Congress."
Earlier, Faizee, flanked by D Raja and secretary of the West Bengal unit Manju Kumar Mazumdar, had ruled out "any alliance or front with the Congress at the national-level". However, at thestate-level, which would be largely left to the State units, Faizee said: "In states where both the Congress and the BJP are strong contenders, we would welcome BJP's defeat without surrendering our own position to the former (Congress)."
Claiming that the party's prime objective in the coming elections would be to defeat the BJP, Faizee said: "We have asked our state units to identify the electoral allies in the state and prepare a final report on the political situation by July."
The party's National Council, which is going to meet in July to finalise the process of identification of `electoral allies', on Sunday gave a final shape to the party's aims and objectives in the coming elections. "BJP's defeat would be our main agenda," Raja told newspersons.
During the discussions at the meeting, the CPI leaders have also emphasised the need to take efforts to revive the Third Front and decided to oppose `the so-called two-party' system. Explaining his point, Raja said, the CPI did not subscribe to theview that in the coming election bi-party system would take a final shape. "It's not possible in the Indian political conditions, and Third Front would very much remain a force in the emerging scenario," he added.
Copyright © 1999 Indian Express Newspapers (Bombay) Ltd.
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