CPI(M) invites Bihar CM to Kolkata event amid stalemate in INDIA talks

At a time when talks on seat sharing among INDIA coalition partners for the coming Lok Sabha polls has run into a stalemate in West Bengal, the Communist Party of India (Marxist), or CPI(M), has triggered speculations by inviting Janata Dal (United) leader Nitish Kumar to a Kolkata event marking former state chief minister Jyoti Basu’s 14th death anniversary on January 17.

Bihar chief minister Nitish Kumar. (File) Although the CPI(M) considers the JD(U) an ally it had not invited the Bihar chief minister to this memorial programme in recent years. Wrap up the year gone by & gear up for 2024 with HT! Click here The CPI(M) has made the move days after the Trinamool Congress (TMC) reportedly opposed a proposal some regional leaders raised on December 19 to make Nitish Kumar convenor of the INDIA coalition.

TMC chairperson and West Bengal chief minister Mamata Banerjee, who was present at the meeting in Delhi, has, however, not made any statement on this issue in public so far. On Monday, a day after the Congress initiated formal seat sharing talks with the JD(U) and Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) in Bihar, JD(U) spokesperson Neeraj Kumar said Nitish Kumar has received an invitation from the CPI(M) but could not immediately confirm whether the latter would attend the January 17 event.

Reacting to the TMC’s opposition to the idea of having Nitish Kumar as convenor of the INDIA block, Neeraj Kumar said: “The meeting was held behind closed doors. Hence, I cannot comment on who raised the proposal. We neither made such a demand nor do we aspire for any position. All we want is to accommodate every party, no matter how small or big, in an anti Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) platform.

We call it the Bihar model and expect it to be followed.” Although the Congress and the CPI(M) earlier said the INDIA model will not work out in Bengal because they are opposed to both the TMC and the BJP, Banerjee attempted to break the deadlock on December 19 by offering not to contest Bengal’s Berhampore and Malda South seats.

In response, Bengal Congress president Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury told the central leadership that his party will be routed from Bengal if it contests only two of 42 seats just to honour the spirit of the coalition. The Bengal unit of the CPI(M), too, has made it clear that it will snap its electoral understanding with the Congress if the latter finds an ally in the TMC.

The Congress central leadership has decided to evaluate the party’s position in several Bengal districts before taking a call on seat sharing. “The evaluation will be done after Rahul Gandhi’s upcoming Bharat Jodo Nyay Yatra, which will pass through several districts that used to be Congress strongholds till the TMC came to power 12 years ago,” an All India Congress Committee (AICC) member said on condition of anonymity.

CPI(M)’s Bengal unit secretary and politburo member Md Salim said: “We are expecting Nitish Kumar on January 17. Mamata Banerjee thought she can control the alliance in Bengal by offering only two seats to the Congress. She does not want the Left in the coalition. The Left parties are more interested in having a secular, anti BJP coalition.” Even as TMC kept a close watch on the development, its Rajya Sabha member Santanu Sen said: “Any party can invite a political leader.

It is their internal matter. The person being invited has to decide whether he will honour the invitation or not. The only constant factor that people need to understand is that the TMC is the only anti BJP force in Bengal.” SHARE THIS ARTICLE ON Share this article Share Via Copy Link ABOUT THE AUTHOR Tanmay Chatterjee Tanmay Chatterjee has spent more than three decades covering regional and national politics, internal security, intelligence, defence and corruption.

He also plans and edits special features on subjects ranging from elections to festivals. ...view detail Nitish Kumar.