No signal to Karunakaran camp: Prakash Karat

CPI(M) to finalise its approach after new party is floated

THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: The CPI(M) general secretary, Prakash Karat, has said that the CPI(M) has not sent any signal, positive or negative, to the Karunakaran faction in the Congress, which is getting ready to float a new party.

Replying to questions at a `meet-the-press' programme organised by the Press Club here on Wednesday, Mr. Karat said the CPI(M) would finalise its approach towards the Karunakaran faction after examining the policies and programmes of the new party proposed to be floated by it. "Why should we presume anything at this point? As far as we are concerned, they are still part of the Congress. Therefore, there is no question of our sending any signal to them," he explained.

Mr. Karat, here to attend the two-day State committee meeting of the party from Thursday, said the lone vacancy in the CPI(M) Central Committee would be filled once the organisational issues in the State CPI(M) were resolved. The party had admitted to the existence of factionalism in the State party in the report presented to the 18th Party Congress and it was clear that such issues could not be resolved overnight. "But we are confident that we will be able to resolve all such issues," Mr. Karat said.

Foreign funding

Responding to a volley of questions on the party stand on foreign funding and business ventures being started by cooperatives closely linked with the party, Mr. Karat said the general criteria for the acceptance of foreign funds would be finalised soon by the party Central Committee and given for publication. The party was not against all forms of foreign funding and would rather look at the question depending on the merit of each case.