Third alternative not feasible now : Prakash Karat

Admitting that as of now “a third alternative is not feasible” at the national level, Communist Party of India (Marxist) general secretary Prakash Karat said here on Tuesday that it was important for all the Left parties “to develop their independent strength” across the country.

The Left “must pay emphasis to mobilise the people into wider struggle and movement,” he said, citing the success of the nationwide agitation against price rise and the recent hike in fuel prices, where the Left parties allied with non-BJP and non-Congress parties.

“The Left Front in West Bengal is the strongest base for the Left in the country,” Mr. Karat said, adding that the correct lessons must be learnt from the success of the Left Front, which was “the highest form of a united front” that the Communist movement in India had witnessed.

He, however, said that the struggle to build a Left and alternative front at the national level was much more complicated and difficult.

While alliances and electoral adjustments had been made with other political parties it would not be a united front “unless we can bring these parties into the joint action and the joint struggle.”

“Such a third alternative is not feasible. That we are going to discuss again.”

He said that other than West Bengal, Tripura and Kerala “we have not been able to form a united (Left) front.”

Electoral adjustments with other political parties were forged “mainly to fulfil immediate political tactical needs…these are temporary arrangements.”

Mr. Karat was delivering the memorial lecture titled “Communist Parties and the politics of united front” at a function to mark the birth centenary of Pramode Dasgupta, the first chairman of the Left Front in West Bengal. Chief Minister Buddhadeb Bhattacharjee, chairman of the State Committee of the Left Front, Biman Bose, and leaders of the other constituents of the Left Front were also present.

Mr. Karat said the fundamental principle of the success of the Left Front in West Bengal was that “unless you are able to develop the independent strength of the working class party, you cannot develop and widen the scope of the united front.”

(Courtesy : The Hindu)