Chaudhury not averse to striking pact with Mamata

“Jana Chetna is willing to strike an alliance with any party which has no truck with the BJP. All those parties with secular ideals are welcome to join us,” he told The Indian Express. However, Chaudhury admitted: “I don’t know whether Mamata will desert the BJP.”

A former MP, Chaudhury had repeatedly voiced his demand for “democracy at all levels”, and expelled from the CPI(M) two months back on charges of “anti-party activities”. The new forum will work for development, peace and secularism in West Bengal and will take the shape of a full-fledged political party by the end of this year, he said.

Addressing the gathering at the launch of the new outfit, Chaudhury shared Mamata’s views on the issue of reservation for Muslims. The Trinamool leader, at a rally of Muslims in Calcutta last week, had promised that she would work for job reservation for Muslims if she was voted to power in the state.

“Though we strictly believe in not granting reservations on the basis of religion, but there are already a few Backward classes from the Muslim community who had been included in the OBC category,” Chaudhury said and added: “We demand that this scope be widened and more people, especially those from economically Backward class among various minority communities, be treated as OBCs. If need be, necessary Constitutional amendments be made to facilitate this.”

“Politics in West Bengal has become bipolar with Trinamool Congress on one hand and the Left Front on the other. We will break this polarisation and emerge as a strong third force,” he explained.

Friday’s convention was attended by about 5,000 people, most of whom were formerly with the CPI(M), besides those from the CPI and other parties.