The Hindu : CPI(M) meet to decide on Assembly poll strategy

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Thursday, Jun 05, 2003

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CPI(M) meet to decide on Assembly poll strategy

By Our Special Correspondent

NEW DELHI JUNE 4. The Communist Party of India (Marxist) would firm up its approach to the Assembly elections in five States later this year, amid indications that barring Mizoram it may prefer to contest a limited number of seats.

Among the States where Assembly elections are due, the CPI(M) has presence in Rajasthan in the form of a representative in the Assembly. Delhi, Madhya Pradesh and Chhattisgarh are the other States where polls are due.

At its three-day meeting of the central committee at Kolkata starting on June 7, the party would also decide on the poll tactics. The CPI had earlier indicated that it had opened talks with parties including the CPI(M) and the Nationalist Congress Party for an understanding ahead of the polls to take on the Congress, which is ruling party in all these States, and the BJP.

Apart from discussions on issues related to polls, the central committee would take stock of the political developments in the country since it last met, three months ago with focus on Uttar Pradesh.

In the international arena, the committee would evaluate developments in Iraq, which is under `U.S. occupation' and also with reference to New Delhi's stand on request for Indian troops, the politburo member, Prakash Karat, told The Hindu.

In an article in the party organ, People's Democracy, Mr. Karat had argued against sending Indian troops stating that "the BJP-led Government has no right to take this decision without the concurrence of Parliament. In its last session, Parliament had adopted a resolution opposing the U.S.-British war on Iraq and called for the withdrawal of its forces. To send troops to serve under these occupying authorities, is thus to flagrantly violate the Parliament decision which reflects the views of the Indian people''.

The central committee would also discuss and adopt a document on the agrarian sector in the country. The document is a product of an in-house exercise aimed at ironing out the problem areas and drawing up plans to meet to the challenges emerging on account of general distress and drought in the farm sector.

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