Joint stirs with TDP only starting point: CPI (M)

Hyderabad, Jun 9 (UNI) Maintaining the CPI(M) holding joint stirs with the TDP against the fuel price hike was only the starting point for evolving a strong, democratic and secular alternative to the ''anti-people'' UPA Government at the Centre, CPI(M) Polit Bureau Member B V Raghavulu today set a deadline for the Congress to reach an understanding with it for local body polls before the notification was issued.

Without ruling out the possibility of any tie-up with the TDP for the polls, Mr Raghavulu told mediapersons here on the sidelines of the party three-day Central Committee meeting that ''it will not be appropriate to articulate the party's stand on the issue at the present juncture before the Congress responds to the deadline.'' Urging the TDP, which had been vigorously pursing World Bank-dictated economic policies when in power, to spell out its stand on economic issues, the CPI (M) State Secretary said his party would have no objection to join hands with it to fight ''anti-people'' policies of the Congress Government in the state if there was a change in the TDP's ''attitude.'' ''The joint stirs against the hike in prices of petrol and diesel is only a initial phase of the efforts of his party to forge a strong democratic and secular alternative to the Congress at the Centre,'' he said.

Accusing the ruling Congress in Andhra Pradesh with delaying seat adjustment for the elections, Mr Raghavulu made it clear his party would allow local level arrangements if an agreement with the Congress could not be clinched before the notification.

The party was keen to contest 200 Zilla Parishad Territorial Constituenices (ZPTCs) and 2000 Mandal Parishad Territorial Constituencies (MPTCs) in the state and brace itself for coming to power in the Zilla Parishads of Khammam and Nalgonda, he added.

Describing as ''courtesy call'' the meeting between Party General Secretary Prakash Karat and Pradesh Congress President K Keshava Rao yesterday, he denied the leaders held talks on seat adjustments for the polls.

''It is not the practice of the Central leadership to intervene on issue being dealt with by the state unit of the party,'' he added.

UNI