NEW DELHI: Communist Party of India (Marxist) made it clear to the Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) on Thursday that while it had no opinion on the proposed merger of the Democratic Indira Congress (Karunakaran) with the NCP, the move would create a problem within the Left Democratic Front (LDF) in Kerala.

Background

This was conveyed to the NCP by CPI(M) general secretary Prakash Karat when he met Union Agriculture Minister Sharad Pawar at his residence here. Briefing journalists later, Mr. Karat said that since there was a background to this entire chapter, the LDF would discuss the issue and communicate its decision to the NCP.

Stiff resistance

The meeting was held at the instance of the NCP in the wake of stiff resistance within the LDF to the proposed merger. According to NCP spokesman D. P. Tripathi, Mr. Karat informed Mr. Pawar that his party would discuss the issue at its upcoming central committee meeting.

CPI(M) stand unchanged

Though the NCP was finding solace in Mr. Karat's statement that the LDF would revisit the issue, CPI(M) sources maintained that there was no shift in the party's position. Mr. Karat was primarily extending a basic courtesy to Mr. Pawar in the true spirit of "coalition dharma'' and anyway since an NCP-DIC(K) merger was a new development, the LDF would have to meet in the natural course to take a view.

No opinion on merger

Ahead of the meeting, Mr. Karat told The Hindu : "We are concerned since the NCP is a partner in the LDF which had earlier decided that it cannot have any understanding with the DIC(K). We have no opinion on the merger but there will be a problem in the LDF, which would meet and discuss.''

The bottomline is that the NCP might have to step out of the LDF in case it insisted on going ahead with the merger, Left party sources said.

Even an assurance from the NCP that neither DIC(K) supremo K. Karunakaran nor his son K. Muraleedharan would be made part of the LDF coordination committee would be unacceptable.

RSP, CPI opposed

While a section within the CPI(M) has been in favour of taking Mr. Karunakaran and his son on board, the junior constituents of the LDF — the CPI and the Revolutionary Socialist Party in particular — are bitterly opposed to the merger.

On Wednesday, CPI general secretary A.B. Bardhan virtually ruled out the NCP being part of the LDF after the merger.

He said the LDF was opposed to Mr. Karunakaran and would not accept his company in any manner.

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