Left parties to jointly fight polls

GUWAHATI, April 11: A clear picture of the proposed Peoples' Front in the lines of the Lok Manch in the national level is yet to emerge. However, it is almost clear that the Left parties - CPI and the CPM will fight the ensuing polls together. Both the CPI and CPM came out of the AGP-led four party alliance after the AGP went for an electoral understanding with the BJP and now efforts are on by the Left parties to form a Peoples' Front with other like minded parties. The acting secretary of the state unit of the CPI, Bhogeswar Dutta today said that the Peoples' Front would fight both the AGP-BJP alliance and the Congress. He revealed that a meeting of the constituents of the Peoples' Front - CPI, CPM, Samajwadi Party, RSP and Janata Dal (Secular) will be held tomorrow to give a final shape to the Front. He said that discussions are also being held with the CPI(ML) Liberation, Mishing Mimag Kebang and the Jayanta Rongpi faction of the Autonomous State Demand Committee. Dutta ruled out the possibility of an electoral alliance with the Congress. Giving an account of the discussions between the CPI and the Congress, Dutta claimed that the proposal first came from the Congress and accordingly Member of Parliament Drupad Borgohain had an informal round of discussion with the Assam Pradesh Congress Committee President Tarun Gogoi. He said that in the meeting the Congress asked the CPI to clarify its stand on the Illegal Migrants (Determination by Tribunals) Act. 'However, later the APCC informed us that they did not get the green signal from the AICC and now the chapter is closed,' he added. Meanwhile, the secretary of the state unit of the CPM, Hemen Das today said that the final shape of the proposed Peoples' Front is yet to emerge. He said that as the CPI has changed its earlier stand of forging an alliance with the Congress. 'We have no objection in an electoral alliance with the CPI'. Criticising the AGP for forging a poll pact with the BJP, Das said 'the AGP gave a chance to the communal party like the BJP to establish its foothold in Assam.'