Rahul Gandhi, Buddhadeb Bhattacharjee To Share Stage In Kolkata

Kolkata: Whatever the results of the West Bengal elections, one of the big stories out of it is what's about to happen on Wednesday -- a public rally in Kolkata in which former chief minister and once CPM's poster boy Buddhadeb Bhattacharjee will share stage with Rahul Gandhi.

The CPM-Congress alliance is now almost a month old. But the Left has been coy about it, calling it an understanding. The Congress is much more up-front.

But what persuaded the reclusive Mr Bhattacharjee to step up to the plate? After all, holding a joint meeting with Rahul Gandhi is open defiance of the CPM Politburo's sacrosanct decision: no truck with the Congress.

Trinamool says it is a sign of desperation, that both parties are clutching at straws.

But sources say the CPM in Bengal decided to come out, as it were, after something of fiasco on Sunday at Singur. That day, at a joint Congress-CPM rally, Congress's Adhir Chowdhury and CPM's Sitaram Yechuri were expected. But no one was sure they would share stage.

Adhir Chowdhury, who arrived first, was clearly willing.

"People ask me how the CPM and the Congress are holding hands.  People are amazed," he said. "But I say, if after 88 years, America's Barack Obama can go to Cuba and shake hands with Fidel Castro and declare they will work together, why can't we and CPM?"

But he left disappointed. Sitaram Yechuri arrived 20 minutes later. In his speech, there was no word about the Congress or the understanding, leave alone the alliance.

"There is nothing official about it," he said about the understanding. "This is all happening because of pressure from the ground level.  It is a response to the people's urge."

Mamata Banerjee and Narendra Modi have called this alliance "dost (friend) in Bengal, kusti (wrestling match) in Kerala". It is a sore point with many CPM leaders.

Reports of the Singur meeting reached CPM headquarters in Kolkata, about how Mr Yechuri had avoided Mr Chowdhury. And someone decided it was time to stop playing games.

Will it pay of electorally? The Trinamool is sneering at tomorrow's rally. But some say Wednesday could see a tectonic shift in not just Bengal but Indian politics.