Bengal CPM wants to move closer to Cong

Ahead of the Lok Sabha polls, the West Bengal CPM is considering an alliance with the Congress. The idea is to single out Trinamool Congress chief Mamata Banerjee in the state and keep her from regaining clout at the Centre. Ravik Bhattacharya reports.

Ahead of the Lok Sabha polls, the West Bengal CPM is considering an alliance with the Congress. The idea is to single out Trinamool Congress chief Mamata Banerjee in the state and keep her from regaining clout at the Centre.

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The senior state leaders of the CPM -- Buddhadeb Bhattacharya, Biman Bose and Gautam Deb -- have already conveyed their wishlist to the party leaders in Delhi. They want politburo member like Sitaram Yechuri to mediate with Congress.

“This is the best tactical move if a situation like that of 2004 develops in Delhi. If the Congress needs our support, we should be prepared to extend it to them,” said a central committee leader in Kolkata.

There is an increasing perception in the state of Banerjee’s growing closeness with the BJP, which has made the Muslims uncomfortable.

“It would not be easy for Banerjee to go to the BJP, since there is a huge minority vote at stake in Bengal. If we help Congress at the Center, she would not be able to regain her cabinet berth, which she always uses as a lever in the state,” said a CPM leader.