Yechury

New Delhi, Nov. 22: The CPM shot its mouth off today, starting a row in the Left Front.

Hours after the Bihar poll results were announced, politburo member Sitaram Yechury blamed Ram Vilas Paswan for the rout and raised questions about the Lok Janshakti Party (LJP) leader’s continuance in the United Progressive Alliance.

“The split in the secular vote is responsible for the results. The UPA partners and the supporting allies have been on different sides of the battle. This needs to be looked at,” he said.

Yechury also took a swipe at Left Front ally CPI, which had refused to go with Lalu Prasad and teamed up with Paswan instead. The CPM and the Congress were on Lalu Prasad’s side.

While the RJD and the LJP lost heavily, the Left parties’ tally remained the same as in February with the CPI getting three seats and the CPM one.

At the CPI headquarters in Ajay Bhavan, the leaders refused to let Yechury’s remark go uncontested. “We do not care if the CPM is targeting us. The CPM and the Congress are equally responsible for the results,” said D. Raja.

“It is none of our business whether Paswan continues in the UPA or not. We are not part of the UPA,” he added. But in the same breath, Raja warned against any attempt to show Paswan the door. “Serious cracks will appear in the UPA if Paswan is thrown out.”

He hit back at the CPM saying: “They are trying to cover up their mistake of going with Lalu.”

In the evening, the CPM politburo issued a statement saying: “The division among the secular democratic parties has been a major contributor to the results.”

Although Yechury’s remarks have sparked tempers, the Left parties agreed that with the victorious NDA raring to have a go at the government in Parliament, they may have to pull their punches to save it further embarrassment.