THRISSUR : All India Forward Bloc (AIFB) has formally announced its decision to severe ties with the CPM-led LDF and work for the Congress-led UDF in Kerala in the ensuing assembly polls.
Even though the decision may not have much electoral impact, considering that the AIFB has only limited following in Kerala, it will certainly be a political blow to LDF. Forward Bloc is the second Left party to quit the LDF in Kerala after the RSP, even though both are part of the Left Front at the national level.
The AIFB decision was announced by the party national secretary G Devarajan after holding talks with chief minister Oommen Chandy at Ramanilayam here on Saturday.
He said the AIFB would not demand seat this time from the UDF, considering that the seat allocation, candidate fixation and campaign works have progressed significantly.’
The AIFB leader made a scathing attack on the CPM for reducing the Left front to a mere `opportunistic grouping of Communist parties alone. First they pushed out the Janata Dal (U), then RSP and now AIFB. Their next target will be CPI. The CPM has been contesting only in 65 to 70 seats in Kerala till 2005 elections, and now they have put up candidates in more than 90 seats.’’ "The Forward Bloc, which is the second largest partner of the Left Front in West Bengal, has been supporting the LDF in Kerala for the last 30 years without making any demands. Our demand this time also was not mainly seats, but a recognition as an LDF partner,’’ Devarajan said.
"But the CPM had no discomfort in giving enough seats to parties which were part of the UDF till a couple of days back. Even the Kerala Congress faction led by R Balakrishna Pillai, who was one of the few politicians in India who had been imprisoned on corruption charges, was given a seat. It is not clear to us what makes AIFB ineligible for a seat from the LDF,’’ he said.
The AIFB leader alleged that CPM was on the verge of a split as the state unit is not ready to abide by the decisions taken at the national level. This was manifested not only in the issues like allocation of seat to AIFB, but even in liquor policy and other related issues.
Devarajan said the political distance between LDF and UDF has thinned down drastically over the last couple of years. Even in the much-debated policy issues like the land reforms it was the Congress-led formation which had actually taken steps to implement.
The CPM and other partners of the Left Front have allied with the Congress and alliance is known as `Left, Democratic and secular alliance’ and a CPM leader there has even said that the alliance will form the government with the present constituents, if it got majority. So there was nothing wrong in aligning with the Congress in Kerala, the AIFB leader said.
Devarajan also disclosed that he had held talks with KPCC President V M Sudheeran, home Mminister Ramesh Chennithala as well with the leaders of other partners like P K Kunjhalikutty.
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