Cong gives hints of alliance with Left Front in Bengal

New Delhi, Feb 19: Giving signals of some sort of an alliance with the Left Front in poll-bound West Bengal, Congress today said there is no contradiction if it ties up with the CPI(M) to take on Mamata Banerjee while fighting against it in Kerala.

"If and when any alliance of the kind you are imagining happens in Bengal, that has absolutely no contradiction because alliances are state specific. This is true of every political party in this country", party spokesman Abhishek Singhvi told reporters.

When pressed further as to how could Congress align with the CPI(M) in West Bengal when it is fighting the party in Kerala, he remarked "alliances apply within the boundaries of a state".

While Singhvi gave ambivalent answers on questions regarding Cong-Left alliance in West Bengal, a senior leader, who declined to be identified, spoke of a tactical understanding between the two parties.

Only yesterday, CPI(M) had indicated it is willing to have an understanding with Congress for the upcoming assembly polls in West Bengal to "oust" TMC from Government and "isolate" BJP in the state.

CPI(M) general secretary Sitaram Yechury had said the Left party will seek support and co-operation from "all democratic forces" to dethrone the Mamata Banerjee-led TMC in the state.

"In order to restore democracy and foil communal polarisation by BJP ... that is the main task we think can be achieved only by ousting TMC from Government in West Bengal.

"In order to achieve this objective, the CPI(M) will seek support of all democratic forces in Bengal," Yechury had said without naming Congress.

He had said the CPI(M) West Bengal committee will work out a proposal on having understanding with other "democratic" forces and on the basis of the same party politburo will take a final decision in this regard. Talk in Congress is that the JNU row has helped the party leadership get closer with that of the CPI-M.

PTI