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CPI-CPI-ML tie-up may hit RJD

Sorror Ahmed in Patna

The Communist Party of India and Communist Party of India-Marxist-Leninst have seldom agreed on any issue in Bihar.

In fact the armed squads of the latter had killed more CPI men than Bharatiya Janata Party or Rashtriya Janata Dal supporters in the villages of central Bihar.

Yet, on January 18, the two parties disclosed their plan to contest the forthcoming assembly elections together. In a rare gesture, the CPI had agreed to fight 154 seats leaving 89 for the CPI -ML. Friendly contests would take place in 25 seats.

The third important Left party, the Communist Party of India-Marxist has refused to join hands with the CPI and CPI-ML comrades and is likely to enter into an agreement with the ruling RJD.

The news of this seat adjustment between the two Communist parties would have gone unnoticed -- as they are not going to win more than a dozen seats - had it not been for the RJD fears that the two parties have the potential to affect its vote bank.

Such fears had forced RJD chief Laloo Prasad Yadav to keep his doors open for the two Communist parties till the last moment.

In fact, a CPI-ML leader had told rediff.com about his fears of a possible RJD-CPI alliance as many of the CPI legislators were in favour of an alliance with Laloo. (The CPI had split at the height of the animal husbandry scam probe and six of the MLAs openly defied the party leadership and continued to support RJD chief Laloo Prasad Yadav.)

However, CPI state secretary Jalaluddin Ansari refused to enter into any tie-up with the RJD.

The RJD may have to pay dearly in some of the seats. The CPI got 4.9 per cent votes and won 26 seats in the 1995 election which it fought along with the then undivided Janata Dal. The CPI-ML has six MLAs.

However, the CPI-CPI-ML tie-up has many problem areas, especially in the central Bihar districts where both the parties are literally at loggerheads.

The CPI has time and again accused the CPI-ML of killing its cadres, while the latter has blamed the former for espousing the cause of the landed class. Besides, there is no denying the fact that former CPI MP from Jehanabad, Ramashray Prasad Yadav, is considered by the CPI-ML cadres as one of their greatest enemies.

However, like other political alliances, the CPI-CPI-ML tie-up is driven by political compulsions rather than principles.

Addressing the media after the poll pact with the CPI-ML, Jalaluddin Ansari blamed Laloo Yadav for misgovernance. Yet, there is little doubt that it was due to the initiative of several CPI leaders that talks for seat-sharing with the RJD were renewed as late as January 13.

The talks failed because Laloo Yadav refused to give them more than 50 seats. Thus it was a re-play of pre-Lok Sabha election talks which too failed on the issue of seat-sharing.

The CPI-ML also has a difficult task. If it fights alone there is a fear that it may not be able to retain the six seats which it won last time.

In the recent Lok Sabha elections, almost all the CPI and CPI-ML candidates forfeited their deposits. On the other hand, the CPI-M, which hardly had any base in the state, managed to win one of the two seats which it fought in association with the RJD.

Both the CPI and CPI-ML are a pale shadow of the past. The latter no doubt has some disciplined workers but the advent of the Mandal forces has affected it a lot.

However, the two parties still have a nuisance value and at least the RJD cannot ignore this fact in several constituencies of central Bihar.

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