Mixed reponse to Yechury's call for Left merger

Communist Party of India-Marxist leader Sitaram Yechury's stand that CPI-M and CPI should merge evoked a mixed response in the two Left parties even as he stressed that the merger would have a 'positive' impact on national politics.

Some CPI-M leaders in their initial reaction to Yechury's remarks on Monday were apparently not very enthused but CPI leaders said they were amenable to the idea of unification of the Communist parties for a comprehensive Left movement in the country.

The CPI-M was formed in 1964 after it broke away from CPI. CPI-M politburo member B V Raghavulu said it was more important for the Left parties to work together on various public issues rather than getting bogged down on merger.

"The merger of Left parties is not important now. More important is Left parties working together. It is not better for us if we get bogged down about merger," Raghavulu, who is Andhra Pradesh secretary of CPI-M, said in Hyderabad.

When pointed out that the Left can be more effective if they merge, he said, "It is fine if we become more effective. But we should not end up fighting among ourselves. If we merge, it should be forever."

Endorsing the views of the CPI-M poliburo member, CPI's D Raja said his party has, for long, advocated the reunification of the Communist movement.

Raja had said on Sunday that unification of the CPI and the CP-M will take time though his party was consistent on it.

Tamil Nadu unit CPI secretary D Pandian welcomed Yechury's remarks and said the merger was a "political duty" and "compulsion of time" and should be accelerated.

The merger process should be accelerated and completed before the all India conferences of the two Left parties scheduled in March 2012, he said in Coimbatore.

Yechury reiterated on Tuesday that the two Left parties should explore the possibility of a merger saying it will have a "positive and galvanising" impact on national politics.

Yechury said a Left merger would give sharper focus to the voice of the marginalised and exploited people in the country.

He however refused to set a time-frame saying some issues needed to be resolved. He reiterated that well wishers of the Left front wanted the merger to happen "as soon as possible" but declined to reveal their identities.

Yechury on Monday spoke of a possible merger of CPI and CPI-M hoping the two Left parties can come together in the near future after their split nearly five decades ago, but said no time-frame could be given for the completion of the process.

Pandian said there were no major ideological differences between CPI and CPI-M. A united Communist Party would be able to fight for people's causes, particularly in the prevailing situation of corruption and scams, he said.