In dramatic developments at the ongoing 22nd party congress of the CPI(M) in Hyderabad on Friday, a scheduled press conference was preponed as differences persisted over the party's tactical line over a tie-up with the Congress. The decision to reschedule the press meet came after heated debate in the morning session on the tie-up question.
In a 'break' with tradition, 'hardline' faction leader Prakash Karat will be addressing Friday's press meet, instead of party general secretary Sitaram Yechury, as was initially planned. The press conference is now expected to be held at 1.30PM.
Sensing an imminent split in the party, Yechury on Friday tried to pacify the party men from all over India by saying that his document would not talk about a direct and cohesive alliance with Congress but the possibility of a tie-up should be kept open given the changing political scenario.
“The rise of fundamentalist parties like BJP has alarmed all of us. We may not be in a position to enter into an alliance with the Congress. But we must kept all options open in the changing political scenario in the country,” a source in the CPI(M) quoted Yechury as saying.
There was an uproar in the meeting hall, and party members from West Bengal, Maharastra, Tripura and Bihar raised the need for secret ballot voting for the final decision on the tactical line.
While president of the congress, Manik Sarkar, ousted chief minister of Tripura, tried to pacify the members, Prakash Karat sat idle most of the time. Sarkar told the members that time was too short for secret voting as it never happened earlier as well.
The 'Kerala lobby' also opposed an alliance with Congress, which, according to them, would lead to a complete dilution of the party's ideology and constitution.
It was not known what would happen on Friday as many members of the party told THE WEEK that the atmosphere inside was at vitiated as it was in 1964 at the Tyagaraja hall in Kolkata at the Congress of the CPI, when some members left the meeting and formed the CPI(M).
All eyes will now be on what Karat would say to describe the situation in the 22nd party congress.