New Delhi, January 8
Left parties today criticised the unilateral decision of the Congress and the JMM to arrive at a seat sharing arrangement for the next month Assembly poll in Jharkhand. While the CPI described the move as an “insult” to them, the Communist Party of India (Marxist) said, “It is a unilateral announcement and not in line with our thinking.”
“This is an insult to us that the JMM and the Congress unilaterally decided on sea-sharing without taking us into confidence. RJD and Left parties are part of the alliance,” party general secretary A.B. Bardhan told reporters after a 90-minute talk with RJD supremo Laloo Prasad Yadav.
“It is a unilateral announcement and not in line with our thinking,” CPI(M) Politburo member Sitaram Yechury said.
As per the seat-sharing arrangement the JMM will contest 35 seats, the Congress 33 and other allies the remaining 13 seats in the Jharkhand Assembly poll.
Terming the pact as “unfortunate”, Mr Bardhan said he would meet UPA chairperson Sonia Gandhi to tell her that this was wrong.
Mr Yechury, however, said his party and other Left parties would continue to hold discussions on the matter with the JMM and the Congress.
Expressing surprise over the seat-sharing arrangement, RJD chief Laloo Prasad Yadav said it was a conspiracy by certain elements.
Mr Yadav said, “We are totally opposed to the manner in which the two parties reached a pact. Now we will talk only to Congress president Sonia Gandhi and nobody else on the seat-sharing arrangement in Jharkhand and Bihar.”
Mr Bardhan tried to contact the Congress president, but she was busy at a meeting.
