While CPM general secretary Prakash Karat made it clear that his party would not back a Congress-led alliance at the Centre directly or indirectly, his old allies — the CPI, RSP and All India Forward Bloc — are unanimous in their opinion that such a move will spell doom for the Left Front in West Bengal, where it already fears a battering.

They feel fighting the Congress and the Trinamool in the state and backing a Congress-led dispensation at the Centre at the same time will alienate its supporters.

“We are against the BJP and we will try and stop it from forming the next government. But that does not mean we will support the Congress,” said CPI national council member Gurudas Dasgupta.

CPI state secretary Manjukumar Majumder was also categorical. “Our stand is clear. We will not stand by the BJP and importantly not with the Congress either. We should find an alternate way,” the Communist leaders said, adding the matter would be taken up at his party’s executive council meeting on May 18 and then central committee meeting on May 20-22.

Sources said Left Front constituents like the CPI and the RSP are dead against the idea of supporting the Congress, with a section preferring to sit in the opposition, unlike the CPM.

Just a few days ago, CPM politburo member Sitaram Yechuri had said that sitting in the Opposition was the last choice for his party.

RSP leaders echoed CPI’s view. “The Left should stick to its stand of not supporting the Congress or the BJP. As a party, our stand remains so till date. We would prefer to sit in the Opposition that to go with Congress or BJP,” said Manoj Bhattacharjee, a national council (top decision-making body of the party) member of the RSP.

The party will, however, discuss the matter at its central council meeting scheduled due on May 18-May 21.

Sources said Left allies are not very happy with the CPM over its softening of stand on the Congress. However, all LF constituents, including the CPM, are carrying out back-channel efforts to reach a consensus on the issue.

“We are talking to all our Left allies. There are differences of opinion which, like always, will be resolved through dialogue,” said a senior politburo member of the CPM.

State secretariat member of the All India Forward Bloc Hafiz Alam Sairani said, “Our central leadership will take a final decision on this. Till date, we are as against supporting a Congress government or a BJP one.”