Yechury in Calcutta

Calcutta, May 4: Sitaram Yechury today left the question of shaking hands with the Congress open, unlike Prakash Karat who has ruled out any chance of an understanding.

“We are in a political battle now and our objective is to win this battle to form a non-Congress, non-BJP government. There is no question of supporting the Congress or anything else during the election campaign. It will be discussed and decided if the situation arises after the polls since the final theatre will unfold only then,” the CPM politburo member said in Calcutta today.

CPM general secretary Karat, who had led the Left pullout over the nuclear deal in July 2008, had earlier said: “There is no chance of an understanding with the Congress. We are working for a non-Congress non-BJP government.”

Yechury today said the CPM politburo would meet in Delhi on May 18 to take stock of the “emerging situation”. The election results will be announced on May 16.

The Congress, Yechury said, “is now open to taking the Left’s support”.

“This is an admission on its part that the party won’t be able to come to power on its own.”

But he would not speculate on the matter now. “If our alternative formation comes to power, why should we discuss support to the Congress now?” Yechury asked.

He recalled that the Congress had pulled the rug from under the feet of the United Front regime twice.

In 1996, the Congress supported the H.D. Deve Gowda-led government from outside, but the following year it withdrew support. In 1997, it again withdrew support when I.K. Gujral was leading the government. This time, fresh general elections were called.

“Both the United Front governments suffered because they were dependent on the outside support of the Congress. Both fell after the Congress withdrew support.”

The “question does not arise” about supporting a Congress-led government, Yechury said, but admitted that the Left was on a sticky wicket as the “constituents of the third front would be decided only after the polls”.