CHANDIGARH: West Bengal Chief Minister Jyoti Basu has said that the Communist Party of India (Marxist) could think of a political alliance with the Akali Dal in Punjab if the latter would adopt their earlier secular ideology.
Basu said that something was on in the Akali Dal over their political ideology but the Left would be able to take a definite stand on a political alliance with them only after a clear picture emerges. He was talking to reporters the Viccan Bhawan where the 15th Congress of the CPI (M) is on.
Reacting to a question, Basu said that patriotism of the Punjabis, Bengalis and Maharastrians had never been in question. But the Akali Dal over the decade had turned from a secular outfit into a “communal party.” This, he said, had thrown the traditional relations between the Akalis and the Left parties out of gear. “It is a sad thing, we were aligned to the Akalis but the Congress did not like this. We shared similar views on the Center-State relations, the Akalis were considered real patriotic. We never thought they would become communal. I hope the Akalis come back to their old position,” he added.
Basu also admitted that there were some “unwanted elements” within his party and added that the State and district units of the CPI(M) had been asked to isolate them.
Basu also remarked that he expected a hung parliament in the next general elections as an all out effort would be made to prevent the Bhartiya Janata Party (BJP), which he described as a communal party, from spreading its wings. He felt that the left and democratic forces would join hands to provide an alternative to the Congress He was however, not sure whether a group would emerge from within the Congress I to join this left democratic force alliance, which he calls the third force, Nepal for treaty review.
Article extracted from this publication >> April 14, 1995
