Senior CPI-M leader Gautam Deb today kept alive the possibility of going with Congress in next year's assembly poll in West Bengal even though the CPI(M)'s last party congress has ruled it out.
"Our party (CPI-M) congress has ruled out supporting Congress. Let the election come. See what happens," Deb, a CPI-M central committee member told reporters at Barasat in neighbouring North 24 Parganas when asked about the possibility.
Deb also referred to his party extending support to the Congress-led government at the Centre for four and half years earlier.
The CPI-M state committee member had recently stoked a controversy by saying that the Left did not have enough strength to defeat Trinamool Congress in next year's assembly elections and had hinted at an "understanding" with the Congress.
"There was a need for a greater alliance with other like-minded political parties to defeat the TMC regime," he had stated.
CPI-M general secretary Sitaram Yechury had, however, recently ruled out any alliance with the Congress to take on ruling TMC in the state and said the party will go by its resolution adopted in the Vishakhapatnam party congress of not going into an alliance or front with Congress or BJP.
Deb was not averse to talking to estranged TMC leader Mukul Roy.
"If Mukul Roy wants to talk to our party leaders or an individual, it is his prerogative. I cannot comment on it. But in politics there is no such word called 'no'," Deb said when asked whether CPI(M) would be interested in aligning with Roy if he floats a new outfit or a political platform.
Asked to react to yesterday's suspension of two TMC MLAs - Shiuli Saha and Shilbhadra Dutta for anti-party activities, he said "Trinamool Congress is a party which doesn't have any discipline. Just wait till the month of November and see what happens in TMC.
