Hyderabad, March 23
After four years of “back-seat driving” in the UPA regime, the Left parties are bracing for a greater role, ahead of the elections, to forge a third political alternative based on “common struggles on people’s issues.”
The 20th national congress of CPI, which began here today, served as a platform for the Left to outline a common vision for the future involving building an alternative to Congress and BJP through “left and democratic programmes.”
Being attended by over 1,000 delegates and communist guests from 30 countries, the four-day-long party congress is expected to adopt resolutions on a wide range of issues covering political, economic, social and international issues.
In his inaugural address, general-secretary A.B Bardhan set the tone for the political agenda ahead of the next general elections and called for strengthening the Left unity as it was the only way to build a third alternative in the country.
Assigning a leadership role for the Left in this endeavour, he did not make any direct reference to the United National Progressive Alliance (UNPA), a conglomeration of regional parties working for third front but said “other secular, democratic parties should also be drawn into common struggles.”Sharing his views, the CPI (M) General Secretary Prakash Karat, who spoke as a fraternal delegate and guest, pitched for Left unity saying it was the pre-requisite for presenting a third alternative before the people.
The Left leaders spewed venom at the USA for imposing hegemony over the world and pledged to continue the fight against the nuclear deal which, they said, was against the country’s interests. Delegates from 30 countries, including China, Cuba, North Korea, Czech Republic, Brazil, Pakistan, Bangladesh, Nepal, USA, Canada, Australia, Italy and Japan, are attending the congress.
