Congress 'go it alone' strategy 'self-defeating': Left

New Delhi, Jan 15 (UNI) The Left parties today said Congress General Secretary Digvijay Singh's advocacy on the party's 'going alone' in 2009 general elections is ''self- defeating'' and added that it is nothing more than ''daydreaming'' in an era of coalition politics.

They also scoffed at Mr Singh's asking the Nationalist Congress Party(NCP) headed by Mr Sharad Pawar to merge with the Congress saying this reflected on the party's handling of affairs in Maharashtra where the NCP had decided to go it alone in the forthcoming Mumbai Municipal Corporation polls.

Mr Singh yesterday advocated the ''go it alone'' strategy line for the next Lok Sabha elections.

Talking to UNI, CPI General Secretary A B Bardhan said, ''it is mere day-dreaming of Mr Singh. Let the Congress contest 2009 elections of its own, its seats in the Lok Sabha will come down.'' He said that the Congress' failure to reach an understanding with the NCP would cost it heavily. ''The Congress seems to be helping the BJP-Shiv Sena combine only.'' Asked about the purpose of such a statement, the CPI veteran said it might be meant to iniatiate a fresh debate on whether the coalition is to be a short lived stategy or a permanent political reality.

A section of the media has already started enquiring whether the Congress faces a dilemma on the road to be taken for the 2009 elections. On the other hand, Congress president and UPA chairperson Ms Sonia Gandhi is reportedly stressing the need for strengthening the organisation even in states ruled by its allies, but hesitant to give a ''wrong signal''.

On the purpose of such a line when the UPA coalition headed by the Congress has completed its half term, Mr Bardhan said the party might sing praises of being the country's oldest political party, ''but let me state categorically that no party can do anything to upset this era of coalition politics.'' CPI(M) senior leader and Polit buro member M K Pandhe said the Congress should realise that it does not have the strength to govern the country on its own, nor will it have in the future.

''This is sheer unrealism on the part of Mr Singh to suggest something which is impractical.... This is an era of coalitions,'' he added.

On Mr Singh's remaks on NCP, Mr Pandhe said it simply pointed out the Congress's inability to settle the issue pertaining to its coalition partner in Maharashtra and added the Congress decsion to go it alone in the state might cost it dearly.

However on Mr Singh s advice to NCP to merge with the Congress, the CPI(M) leader quipped, ''We cannot comment as this is an internal matter of the NCP.'' The Congress should refrain from doing anything which went against the unity of the UPA coalition, Mr Pandhe said adding that it would prove to be bad for the party.

UNI