Calcutta, (The Telegraph): Prakash Karat today said "tactics are always flexible in politics" and the CPM central leadership would take into account the popular mood in Bengal while discussing any proposal for an alliance.

"Flexibility'' is a word preferred by and associated with CPM general secretary Sitaram Yechury whenever asked about the possibility of electoral adjustments with the Congress for next year's Assembly elections in Bengal.

Today, "flexibility" was on the lips of Karat, Yechury's predecessor known for his antipathy to the Congress but who did not allow that to stand in the way of supporting Pranab Mukherjee for President.

Karat said the situation in Bengal was "extraordinary'' and that electoral tactics did change in accordance with evolving political situations.

On the penultimate day of the CPM plenum in Calcutta, Karat told reporters: "There is a popular mood that's building up in Bengal that the authoritarian TMC government should be ousted from power. So, we will definitely take that into account while discussing any proposal for having an alliance with them (Congress).

"Electoral tactics are not for the plenum. But tactics are always flexible in politics. Tactics will change according to new political situations. Our state committee will discuss the tactics and send it to the PB (politburo) for consideration and approval."

Asked whether the CPM will deviate from the party congress decision that ruled out any alliance with the Congress, Karat said: "In politics, there cannot be 'yes' or 'no'. Sometimes, there can be both 'yes' and 'no'. One needs to be flexible."

In the CPM, key political and tactical decisions are taken during the party congress held every three years. Plenums are convened if the party needs to discuss something urgent that cannot wait till the next congress.

The Calcutta plenum, held after a gap of 37 years, has been convened to discuss organisational affairs ahead of the polls in Bengal and Kerala. But a deal with the Congress has become the talking point with several CPM leaders from Bengal voicing such a wish.

Against this backdrop, the former general secretary's remarks acknowledge the views of pro-adjustment advocates in Alimuddin Street, who have been demanding at state committee meetings that the party should unofficially align with the state Congress to take on the ruling Trinamul.

Asked about a possible time frame on a decision, Karat said: "We will wait for a few more weeks, well, four to six weeks, and then decide.''

At the beginning of the plenum, Yechury had kept the adjustment possibility afloat by saying that the Bengal leadership would decide and then propose to the central committee for approval or rejection. Yechury, known to be close to the CPM's Bengal unit and generally perceived in the party as "flexible", was more than expected to warm up to Alimuddin Street's cause.

But that wasn't the case with Karat, who was the architect of the CPM's withdrawal of support to the Congress-led UPA I government in July 2008 over the Indo-US nuclear deal.

Sections of the Bengal party still feel that had it not been for Karat's insistence on withdrawal, the Congress and Trinamul would not have come together and rocked the Left boat that eventually paved the way for a change of guard in Writers'.

Even after the decimation of the CPM in the 2009 polls, Karat, then general secretary, made it a point to have the majority of the CPM central committee rally around his decision on withdrawal at the Vijayawada extended central committee meeting in 2010 and at the Kozhikode party congress in 2012.

Asked about Karat's apparent softening, a CPM central committee leader said: "Karat is no longer the general secretary. So, why will he rub the Bengal leaders the wrong way in Calcutta and make them hostile towards him?"

"Moreover, Karat is swimming with the tide. If there's an adjustment between the CPM and the Congress and that fetches results, he will be part of the success story," the CPM leader said, suggesting that if the adjustment fails, the blame will not fall on the former general secretary.

Although the noises from the CPM suggest the party is warming up for a truck with the Congress, a CPM insider said the pro-adjustment voices should not forget two key points.

One, what the CPM would do if Left Front allies like the Forward Bloc, and the CPI decide to oppose any truck with the Congress as they are already singing a different tune.

Two, what the Congress high command, which has always shared a special rapport with Mamata, would decide.

"The picture is still unclear on these two points. But instead of waiting for clarity from others, we should at least make up our minds. It is encouraging that leaders like Karat are appreciating the situation in Bengal," said a CPM leader.

Photo credit: The Telegraph