Coimbatore, Mar 29: Major Left parties on Saturday gave a call for forging a "third alternative" against the BJP and the Congress, saying several democratic and secular parties agreed with them on "pro-people" economic policies, an independent foreign policy and anti-communalism. Maintaining that all steps should be taken to prevent the "communal forces led by BJP" from coming to power, top leaders of CPI(M) and CPI said the third alternative should be based on "an alternative platform of policies" and it cannot be a mere electoral alliance.

"There are democratic and secular parties who can agree with the Left on pro-people economic policies, on social justice measures and an independent foreign policy. Such a platform will be irrevocably anti-communal in character," CPI(M) General Secretary Prakash Karat said in his inaugural address at the 19th Congress of the party.

The party Congress would later deliberate on how to proceed in this direction. Joining him in the appeal, CPI General Secretary A B Bardhan said "it is time that we should make every effort to build a Left and Democratic Alternative to both the Congress and the BJP." Such an alternative programme could "emerge only through common struggles on people's issues. There are other parties who are also looking for an alternative," Bardhan, who came here to extend fraternal greetings to the CPI(M) Congress, said. The CPI leader said the Left parties would have to "interact with them and try to draw them into common struggles for forging such a third alternative" and both the communist parties would have to jointly work on this.