Hyderabad: Amid a clear rift in the party over the issue of alliance with the other parties, the 22nd Congress of Communist Party of India-Marxists (CPIM) took up the discussion on the draft political resolution on the second day Thursday.

While the draft resolution was introduced by the senior party leader and former general secretary Prakash Karat on behalf of the central committee, the present general secretary Sitaram Yechuri moved the minority point of view.

Delegates from 13 states took part in the discussions on Thursday.

Sitaram Yechuri addressing the delegates said there was a divergent opinion in the central committee on the political line to be pursued, which will be discussed in the party Congress tomorrow.

“One draft was presented by Karat and the alternative proposal was presented by me”, he said. He indicated that there might not be an electoral understanding with any political party specially with the Congress.

He pointed out that the CPIM never had a tie up with any ruling party. “Even in case of National Front the party had extended outside support”, he said. He said there were no differences on the joining of any alliance or Front. “Joining any Front is an irrelevant issue. There is a complete unanimity on the need for unseating the BJP from power. But how to do it will be discussed by the party”, he said.

Yechuri said if the left democratic forces had to be strengthened, then first the CPIM should be strengthened.

Briefing the media Yechuri later said that the discussion on various amendments to the draft will be held until tomorrow afternoon after which the final resolution will be adopted.

What has emerged as the bone of contention between the two groups — the hawks led by Prakash Karat and backed by Kerala and Tripura leaders and the doves led by Yechuri and mainly backed by the West Bengal unit — was the question whether the CPIM should join hands with the other secular parties including the Congress party.

While the Karat group which describes Congress as bourgeois party has ruled out any such understanding with it, the Yechuri group was in favour of such an understanding to unseat the BJP from power.

The fight has become more intense as the CPIM was also scheduled to elect the party general secretary. While the majority appears to be in favour of giving another term to the current general secretary Yechuri, the Karat group was exploring the possibility of anointing Manik Sarkar, the former Chief Minister of Tripura.

Earlier the Congress of CPIM termed the Supreme Court judgement rejecting the pleas for an independent probe into the death of Justice Loya and holding such petitions as scandalous as “unfortunate”.

“The circumstances of Justice Loya’s death raised several questions. The CPIM holds that the matter should be reviewed by a larger bench of the court”, a statement issued by the CPIM said.

In another resolution the CPIM expressed profound shock at the acquittal by the NIA special court of all those arrested in connection with the Makkah Masjid bomb blast case. It expressed deep concern that central agencies responsible for investigation and prosecution of crimes are increasingly biased in favour of Hindutva forces.

“There is a pattern in acquittals of accused owning allegiance to the Sangh Parivar in various cases of terrorism and bomb blasts”, the resolution said.