"We have a communal party like BJP on one side and a party of capitalists like the Congress on the other. We need a third alternative. This can be achieved only if the Left unity is strengthened," Karat said at an open rally on the eve the CPI(M)'s 22nd state conference.

"For this, all the left parties must unite on the lines of the one in West Bengal. While all Front partners have a responsibility towards this, CPI(M), being the largest constituent, has a bigger responsibility," he said.

Accusing the Congress-led UPA government of failing to redress the problems faced by common people despite the nine per cent GDP growth, he said the Centre was indifferent to the suicide of nearly two lakh farmers over the last 10 years.

The Centre was trying to stop PDS and open the retail sector to big investors. If this happens, lakhs of small traders would be wiped out, he said.