CPI to strive for anti-Congress front in AP

Hyderabad, Oct 5 (UNI) The Communist Party of India(CPI) in Andhra Pradesh was making serious efforts to bring together all parties opposed to the ruling Congress on a common platform.

Talking to UNI here, CPI State Secretary K Narayana said ''we will strive our best to isolate the Congress both at the national and state level by bringing together all like-minded parties to oust it from power''.

''I have just floated the idea of sharing power for opposition parties for coming together. Let us see how things shape up'', he said, adding that no concrete discussion had taken place among the major parties.

''Our immediate task is to defeat the Congress party in the general election next year and in the long run we want to realise a third front in the state'', emphasised Mr Narayana who had held one round of talks with the Praja Rajyam Party(PRP) of actor-turned-politician Chiranjeevi.

''Though it may be difficult to realise a ''grand alliance'' among opposition parties in the present juncture, things will fall in line once the election notification is issued, he expressed confidence.

''Only when there is an exigency, parties will come together'', he said, referring to the Telangana Rashtra Samiti moving closer to the CPI after the separatist party's severe drubbing in the recent byelections forced by that party to encash on the Telangana sentiment.

Denying any differences between the CPI and the CPI(Marxist), he said ''CPI(M) is our natural ally. We will go together in the next elections and work out a common strategy to isolate the Congress''.

Asked what went wrong between the CPI and the Congress, with which the former had truck during the 2004 elections, he said despite Left parties continued support to keep the ''communal'' BJP at bay, the Congress-led UPA Government at the Centre and the Congress Government in the state pursued ''anti-people'' economic policies. Our relationship with the Congress ended with the UPA Government bent upon going ahead with the Indo-US nuclear deal.

Asked if the party had put forth conditions to the TDP for an electoral understanding, he said normally bourgeoise parties were ready to accept any conditions when they wanted to align with it.

''The problem comes only at the time of implementation'' he added referring to the party tie-up with the TDP for over two decades first and then having electoral understanding with the Congress in the 2004 elections to the Lok Sabha and the State Assembly in Andhra Pradesh.

Asked about the possibility of the CPI having truck with Chiranjeevi's party, Mr Narayana, who had a one-to-one meeting with the actor-turned-poltician, said his party did not not have any reservations with the PRP.

UNI SM KVV RP HT1800