CPI-M meet witnesses raucous debate on political line

New Delhi: A three-day meeting of the CPI(M) central committee, which ended here Monday, witnessed an acrimonious debate on whether the party should have any electoral understanding with secular forces including the Congress to take on the BJP in the 2019 Lok Sabha polls.

The central committee authorised the politburo to prepare the draft political resolution to be placed before the next Party Congress, scheduled for next year, CPI(M) general secretary Sitaram Yechury said.

The politburo will incorporate every aspect of the discussions held during the three-day central committee meeting in Delhi in the draft, he said.

According to party sources, many leaders, especially those from the West Bengal unit, were of the view that the party should have an electoral understanding with secular forces, including the Congress, as it had done in the recent presidential and vice-presidential polls.

However, some leaders opposed the views and said they believed that the party should focus its attack against the BJP, along with non-Congress secular parties.

The 22nd Party Congress of the CPI(M) will be held in Hyderabad from April 18 to 22 next year.

Talking to reporters after the meeting, Yechury said the party would not be cowed down by attacks of the RSS and the BJP, and that it decided to intensify the campaign against the "anti-people and anti-national" policies of the government.

Yechury said the central committee also decided to extend its support to the protest initiatives planned by trade unions, farmers, students, youths and other sections of the people against the BJP-led government at the Centre.

On the BJP's 'Jan Raksha Yatra' against political violence in Kerala, Yechury said the two-week-long campaign against the Left party was "completely unprecedented and undemocratic".

The CPI(M) has decided to organise a rally and demonstration in front of the BJP office in Delhi tomorrow, the concluding day of the BJP's Jan Raksha Yatra.