By IANS,
Kolkata : West Bengal Left leader Subhas Chakraborty Wednesday once again indicated that it would not be correct to vote against the Congress-led government along with the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) in the July 22 confidence motion.
Chakraborty, a Communist Party of India-Marxist (CPI-M) state secretariat member, had Monday said in a letter to party general secretary Prakash Karat that the communists would have to answer embarrassing questions from the people if its MPs voted against the Congress.
Asked whether he still stuck to his views on the issue, Chakaraborty said: “Yes… But I don’t want to discuss my standpoint any further in public.”
Peeved at Chakraborty’s public pronouncements, the party’s central committee has asked the state unit to seek an explanation from the firebrand leader, who is also the state’s sports and transport minister.
CPI(M) state secretariat member Benoy Konar Tuesday said that Chakraborty’s public comments on the issue went against the principle of democratic centralism followed by the party.
The state secretariat is set to discuss the matter Friday.
Konar said Lok Sabha Speaker Somnath Chatterjee would also have to abide by the party decision regarding continuing in his post.
Speculation is rife that Chatterjee has shot off a letter to Karat, expressing his opposition to the party’s decision to vote against the UPA government in the confidence motion.
Chatterjee is reportedly under pressure from the party to quit the post and oppose the July 22 trust motion in the Lok Sabha.
The CPI-M and three other Left parties withdrew support to the United Progressive Alliance (UPA) government, protesting its decision to go ahead with the India-US nuclear deal. The Congress-led UPA government now faces a crucial floor test in the Lok Sabha to prove its majority.