Hope to be unified with CPI-M in 4-5 years: CPI

The Communist Party of India expects unification of the party with the CPI-M in next 4-5 years, says CPI General Secretary Suravaram Sudhakar Reddy.

Reddy says most of the reasons that led to the split in the Communist movement in 1964 are irrelevant today, making a strong case for the coming together of the two parties.

"It (the unification) should happen; otherwise both the parties will suffer. We have a feeling that the Left movement is in difficulty these days so there is no necessity for duplication of work by the two parties, doing same type of work," Reddy said here.

"If we work together, there will be better results. I won't say everything will change overnight but definitely there will be better results," he said.

Reddy said on some of the issues, such as secularism, democracy and upholding the Constitution, the two parties are already working together in terms of campaigns and agitations. "But on the question of unity, no direct talk till now," he said. However, he said there are positive signs from within the Communist Party of India (Marxist) for unification of the two parties. But, the leadership of CPI-M is yet to discuss the issue with the CPI, he said.

On what's stopping the coming together of the two parties, Reddy said it's for the CPI-M to say.

"We feel they (CPI-M) want to discuss some issues which led to the split (in 1964). But what we feel is most of them are irrelevant today," he said.

Reddy recalled the split in the international communist movement and differences between China and Russia.