CPI, CPM team up for Assembly polls

Chandigarh: The two Left parties, CPI(M) and CPI on Saturday decided to jointly contest the elections to the Punjab assembly scheduled to be held early next year.

A decision to this effect was taken at a joint meeting of the two parties in Chandigarh, a CPI spokesman said adding that the left will work for the defeat of the SAD-BJP alliance and at the same time have "no alliance or adjustment" with the Congress.

The Punjab units of CPI and CPI(M) have decided to jointly fight the ensuing Assembly elections to consolidate and expand their respective bases in order to have their presence in the Assembly.

The state level coordination committee of the two parties at its meeting discussed the prevailing situation and also finalised the broad contours, which include building an alternative pro-people policies and strive to win meaningful representation in the Assembly to effectively legislate and implement measures to defend the interests of the toiling masses and democratic development of the state.

The broad contours include working for the defeat of the SAD-BJP alliance, which the left said, is communal and has got "worst anti-people record."

The Left also decided not to have any alliance or adjustment with the Congress and expose the ruling party "which is pursuing anti-people policies under the dictates of WTO and their international financial institutions during the last over four years and is marred by large scale corruption."

The spokesman said that the coordination committee also decided to organise with immediately effect joint activity oriented towards the assembly elections. The concrete plan will be chalked out in the next meeting of the committee to be held shortly.

The CPI had contested the 2002 assembly elections in alliance with the Congress. Chief Minister Amarinder Singh has announced that the party would not have any alliance with the CPI as it did not benefit the party while PPCC President Shamsher Singh Dullo has advocated an alliance with the CPI.

Those who attended the CPI-CPM coordination committee meeting included Balwant Singh, State Secretary of the CPI(M) and Jagroop Singh, State Secretary of CPI and the National executive member of the CPI Joginder Dayal.