Calcutta, March 28: The CPM today accused a section of Congress leaders of working out an entente with the Trinamul Congress to consolidate anti-CPM votes before the May 10 Lok Sabha polls.

A measure of the CPM’s concern could be had when the party’s state secretary, Anil Biswas, said Congress leaders who have connections with the party brass in Delhi are indulging in “double-speak” and working towards ensuring a joint fight with Trinamul against the CPM.

Addressing a gathering of party workers in Jadavpur, Biswas charged the Congress leaders with speaking about secularism in Delhi and hobnobbing with Trinamul, a BJP ally, in Bengal.

“These leaders have ruined the Congress and many of its supporters have started realising this. These disgruntled Congress supporters are coming to us and seeking our help to save the party from the clutches of these leaders,” Biswas said.

Though Biswas did not name any leader, it was apparent that he was hinting at state Congress president Pranab Mukherjee. The party is yet to declare candidates for some seats, including Krishnagar and Calcutta Northeast, where Trinamul nominees are in the fray.

Trinamul has not yet fielded a candidate in Jangipur, where Mukherjee is contesting.

Biswas described the state’s main Opposition party, Trinamul, as “nothing but a local club”. “Trinamul neither has any political ideology nor a programme of its own. Their only intention is to create a reign of terror in Bengal and organise road and rail blockades.”

The Opposition had so long accused the CPM-led Left Front government of unleashing a “reign of terror”.

Former state Congress president Somen Mitra contested Biswas’ claims and criticised the CPM for “running after” the Congress in the state and supporting it in parts of the country where it could not field candidates.

Addressing the gathering in Jadavpur, Jyoti Basu said the CPM will not join any coalition government in Delhi even if the Congress manages to obtain a majority along with its allies. “Ours is a small party. But we are respected by all and that’s why we were invited to join a coalition government in Delhi in 1996.”

But he added in the same breath: “Our main object is to keep the BJP away from power in Delhi and for this we may support the Congress.”