Putting the heat on the Congress and the UPA, the CPI(M) may reiterate on Monday that ?drastic measures? are on the way if the Centre continues with the process of putting the Indo-US civilian nuclear deal into operation.

With the party arriving at a concensus on the mid-term polls in the central committee meeting to be concluded on Monday at Kolkata, the hardline path propagated by its general secretary Prakash Karat and co will decide the future of Manmohan Singh government.

As the discussions in the central committee concentrated basically on the time factor of the possible elections, the different voices from West Bengal could not make a difference in the committee. Only the discussion on the political affairs report presented by Karat was completed on Sunday. Most of the members toed the party line and said in the committee that the preparations for the elections should begin soon.

?CPI(M) is the only party which has not spoken of a mid-term poll so far. All other parties, including Congress, have started preparations,? said a senior CPI(M) leader. ?It was visible from the way Rahul Gandhi made a working committee member,? he added. The BJP using the communal cards is also worrying the party?s highest decision-making body. ?Look at the BJP. They are trying to make most out of the Setu Samudram controversy. We will soon begin campaigns to reveal the real face of both the Congress and the BJP on the issue,? the leader added.

Though the party leadership is sure that the LDF is not going to retain 19 seats in the wake of a mid-term poll, it is looking up to Andhra Pradesh and Tamil Nadu for more seats. ?Some regional parties are very keen to have an alliance with us. In Tamil Nadu, the Congress? mismanagement of the Ram Setu issue is really worrying the DMK. In the second affidavit the Centre told the Supreme Court that it?s ready to review the Setu Samudram project. This was done unilaterally and without any discussions with the DMK,? another senior leader told FE. The CPI (M), on the other hand, was consistent in supporting the Setu Samudram project, he added.

Political observers say that the CPI(M) will form an alliance with the TDP and the DMK. In Tamil Nadu the CPI(M) will give whole-hearted support to DMK and its chief minister M Karunanidhi on the Setu Samudram issue. As Karunanidhi announced fast to support the project, the issue will be in the mainstream in the days to come.