07-17-2008, 10:12 PM
<b>Two CPI(M) Muslim MPs defend voting alongside BJP</b>
Kolkata (PTI): With Left parties under fire for deciding to vote along side BJP against the government in the trust vote in the Lok Sabha on July 22, two prominent Marxist Muslim MPs on Thursday defended it saying it was the issue at stake which was important.<b>
"If I have to decide to take a flight to Delhi, do I enquire about my co-passengers? We have been consistently opposing the nuclear deal for the last two years. The BJP has been dithering. We are against the government and so is BJP. But that does not unite us," CPI(M) central committee member and MP Md Selim told PTI.</b>
He disagreed with the view of West Bengal Transport Minister Subhas Chakraborty, who had toed Lok Sabha Speaker Somnath Chatterjee's line taking exception to the party leadership creating a situation where the Left would have to vote with BJP against the Congress-led UPA government.
Another marxist MP and central committee member Hannan Mollah told PTI that "no one in the party attached importance to the utterances of Subhas Chakraborty who had also made controversial statements in the past. We do not subscribe to his view."
Both Selim and Mollah, however, admitted it would have to be explained to the people and the Muslims in particular during the elections.
Kolkata (PTI): With Left parties under fire for deciding to vote along side BJP against the government in the trust vote in the Lok Sabha on July 22, two prominent Marxist Muslim MPs on Thursday defended it saying it was the issue at stake which was important.<b>
"If I have to decide to take a flight to Delhi, do I enquire about my co-passengers? We have been consistently opposing the nuclear deal for the last two years. The BJP has been dithering. We are against the government and so is BJP. But that does not unite us," CPI(M) central committee member and MP Md Selim told PTI.</b>
He disagreed with the view of West Bengal Transport Minister Subhas Chakraborty, who had toed Lok Sabha Speaker Somnath Chatterjee's line taking exception to the party leadership creating a situation where the Left would have to vote with BJP against the Congress-led UPA government.
Another marxist MP and central committee member Hannan Mollah told PTI that "no one in the party attached importance to the utterances of Subhas Chakraborty who had also made controversial statements in the past. We do not subscribe to his view."
Both Selim and Mollah, however, admitted it would have to be explained to the people and the Muslims in particular during the elections.