CPI(M) to team up with more than one secular parties in UP

Kolkata, Jan 4 (UNI) Taking no decision on forging an alliance with any party in the Uttar Pradesh Assembly elections, the CPI(M) has decided to cooperate with 'secular forces' to prevent the BJP from coming to power in the state.

''We have not taken any decision on an alliance with any particular party. The BJP has to be defeated and we will try to team up with as many secular parties as possible,'' party's General Secretary Prakash Karat said after the one-day Polit Bureau and three-day Central Committee meetings that concluded today.

Mr Karat said the Central Committee had approved the decision of the UP State Committee to contest 15 seats in the forthcoming polls in the state.

Evading questions on the possibility of an alliance with the Mulayam Singh Yadav-led Samajwadi Party, he said the CPI(M) was already in talks with some parties in Uttar Pradesh and would cooperate with ''those secular forces who can effectively defeat the BJP''.

The party will accord priority on defeating the the BJP and preventing any possibility of its coming into the state Government after the polls,'' he said in reply to a question.

The CPI(M), Mr Karat said, would also project policies which were in the interests of the working people and for the planned development of the state.

In reply to a question whether the party would go for any tie-up with the Congress to block the BJP, the CPI(M) General Secretary said, ''the chances are remote''.

''The party would accord priority on defeating the BJP and preventing any possibility of its coming into the state government after the polls,'' he said.

UNI