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`CPI(M) trying to avoid split in Left, Congress votes'

By Sushanta Talukdar

GUWAHATI, FEB. 7. The CPI(M) politburo member, Sitaram Yechury, today said that his party had been making all efforts to ensure that "left-oriented and Congress-oriented" votes do not split in the coming Lok Sabha elections to resist the BJP-led communal forces from coming back to power.

Mr. Yechury was here to address a students' rally, which marked the beginning of the four-day all India conference of the Students' Federation of India (SFI). The former SFI president appealed to the country's student community to join other sections of the people in overthrowing the BJP-led national democratic alliance in the elections.

He said that while the CPI(M) had been trying to build up a platform of its traditional secular allies, there were some other secular parties which would go along with the Congress. "We are making all efforts to avoid a split in the votes of these two platforms."

The Tripura Chief Minister, Manik Sarkar, also stressed the need to strengthen the left, democratic and secular forces to defeat the BJP and its allies. The SFI president, K.K. Ragesh, and the general secretary, Kallol Roy, joined the two left leaders in appealing to the student community to overthrow the BJP-led NDA from power.

Over 400 delegates from all over the country are taking part in a threadbare discussion on updating the programme and constitution of the student body in the coming three days. Thousands of students from different parts of the State assembled in the public rally.

Highlighting the deprivation of the northeastern States by the successive Governments at the Centre, the Tripura Chief Minister said this had fuelled insurgency in the entire region. Mr. Sarkar urged the Centre to pressure the Bangladesh Government to demolish the militants' camps in the neighbouring country. The Assam State secretary of the CPI(M), Hemen Das, and the State SFI secretary, Nayan Bhuyan, also spoke.

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