Six major Left parties unite to make it a three-way fight in Bihar

Patna: Six major Left parties on Monday joined hands to contest the forthcoming Bihar Assembly elections and vowed to fight the BJP-led National Democratic Alliance (NDA) and Chief Minister Nitish Kumar-led JD(U)-RJD-Congress grand alliance.

Asserting that they were starting an "agitation" for the state, which would "defeat feudal, communal and corporate forces", the Left parties said they have come together to provide an option to the public to provide "people's rule" in the true sense.

The six Left parties which joined hands today include the Communist Party of India (CPI), CPI(M), CPI(ML), Socialist Unity Centre of India (SUCI)(Communist), All India Forward Bloc and Revolutionary Socialist Party (RSP) and were currently in the process of finalising the seat-sharing for the 243-member Assembly.

Top leaders of the six parties shared dais while addressing a meeting of their workers and supporters, which they called "people's political convention."

Speaking on the occasion, CPI(ML) General Secretary Dipankar Bhattacharya said "We have been waiting for this moment for years. We were asked whey can't the Left parties unite. Today we have come together to make the saffron brigade of Prime Minister Narendra Modi and grand alliance of RJD-JD(U)-Congress bite dust in the Bihar Assembly polls."

He said 2014 was a year of elections, as well as, 'jumla' (rhetoric) and Modi, but 2015 was a year of agitations across the country forcing BJP and RSS on the back foot.

Bhattacharya also attacked RJD chief Lalu Prasad accusing him of collaborating with those who massacred the Dalits in the state and hit out at Chief Minister Nitish Kumar for shielding them by dismantling the Amir Das Commission formed to probe into the outlawed Ranveer Sena (a militia formed by landlords of dominant castes).