CPI(M) striving to form third alternative: Yechury

Hyderabad, June 9 (UNI) Maintaining that the CPI(M) will strive for a third alternative to the Congress and the BJP-led Fronts in the country, its Polit Bureau member Sitaram Yechury today said his party was in contact with various regional parties in this regard.

Addressing a press conference here in connection with the ongoing party Central Committee meeting, he said his party was against the simple coming together of the parties opposed to the Congress and the BJP for political power.

"We want a third alternative to emerge based on secularism and people-centric economic policies," he said.

The CPI(M) joining hands with various parties, including the TDP to give a thrust to the campaign against fuel price hike was not at all a political arrangement, he said.

The party was in touch with others, including the Samajwadi Party, Rashtriya Janata Dal, Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam and the Nationalist Congress Party for evolving a third alternative, he said.

Mr Yechury said TDP president N Chandrababu Naidu was in touch with his party to renew ties, recalling that it was Mr Naidu, who had been the convenor of the United Front before breaking away to side with the ''communal forces''. The gap between the two parties also widened when Mr Naidu decided to pursue vigorously World Bank-dictated economic policies, the left leader added.

Welcoming the TDP's stance of distancing itself from the BJP, he said it was for that regional party to decide on changing its economic policies.

Denying that he had given any assurance to AP Congress chief K Keshava Rao to fight the coming local body elections together during their meeting earlier in the day, he said it was for the CPI(M)'s state committee to decide on seat adjustments for the elections to local bodies.

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