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ShareKolkata: The West Bengal Congress today flatly rejected the surprise appeal by CPI(M) stalwart Jyoti Basu to its supporters to vote for the Left in the upcoming assembly by-polls in the state calling it a clever ploy and an "absurd and unacceptable proposal".
But the 95-year-old former chief minister got support for his first direct appeal to the Congress from his party with senior colleagues saying it was "extremely relevant and important" which no well meaning politician can ignore.
The crucial by-polls is due on November seven and Basu's appeal is being seen as an attempt by CPI-M leaders to bank on his charisma to bounce back and recover lost turf after the rout of the Left and good showing by rival Mamata Banerjee's Trinamool Congress in the May Lok Sabha polls.
"This is a clever ploy on the part of the CPI(M) leadership to divide the Congress-Trinamool Congress alliance votes", PCC Working President Pradip Bhattacharya said.
"After successive debacles at the hustings, the CPI(M) is now desperate to break the opposition unity", he told PTI.
In a surprise development, Basu yesterday appealed to Congress voters for support to Leftists accusing the Trinamool Congress of unleashing violence together with the Maoists.
This is the first time that the CPI(M) had directly appealed to Congress supporters to vote for the Left.
"Basu is a senior political father figure in Indian politics. I think he has made a very right suggesion," Yechuri said. "It is upto the Congress. Whatever they want to say, let them say," he added.
Another CPI-M leader Brinda Karat said the appeal is extremly important and goes beyond party considerations for the future of West Bengal. Trinamool was yet to react.
Basu's appeal however did not find favour with CPI(M)'s ally CPI which disagreed the suggestion to seek Congress support. Another ally Forward Bloc was ambiguous in its response.
"We are not in agreement with his (Basu) statement as it appeared in newspapers,"CPI state council secretary Manju Kumar Majumder told PTI.
Asked if CPI, which has fielded candidates in the by-pollS in Serampore and Contai (South), would appeal to Congress supporters for their votes, he replied, "Since we don't agree with his statement, the question does not arise."
Veteran Forward Bloc leader Ashok Ghose said it was the "political statement of Jyoti Basu. What can I say on it"? Another Front partner, RSP, however, took a mellowed stand, saying Basu had only appealed to Congress-minded people and he could do it.
Yechuri said, "As far as Jyoti Basu is concerned he has risen above party politics. He is talking about the country, the country's future, security and unity of our country. And these are issues no well-meaning politician can ignore."
"They(Congress) may disagree what he has suggested, but these are issues they cannot ignore," he said.
Basu had yesterday said, "We gave unconditional support to Congress to counter communalism and save the country. Now, when the state is facing a severe crisis, I would ask Congress supporters to back Left Front candidates for peace, order and
development."
But Bhattacharya said "Basu's statement has exposed the bankruptcy of the CPI(M) in West Bengal. How can the Congress supporters cast their votes in favour of the CPI(M) which is their party's political enemy?"
