By IANS,
Kolkata : West Bengal’s ruling Left Front Sunday launched its Lok Sabha poll campaign with a huge gathering that saw its leaders attack principal opposition Trinamool Congress for stalling development activities and allegedly being hand in glove with the Maoists. Setting the tone of the front’s campaign for the polls, Chief Minister Buddhadeb Bhattacharjee and front chairman Biman Bose decried the demand for including three districts of West Midnapore, Bankura and Purulia in Jharkhand and charged the Trinamool with joining hands with the separatist forces as part of a “conspiracy” to divide the state.
“The Maoists are masquerading as Trinamool activists in Lalgarh (of West Midnapore district),” said Bhattacharjee at the Brigade Parade Ground rally.
“Those trying to incite tribals in Lalgarh are expressing solidarity with the Gorkhaland movement in Darjeeling. And the Darjeeling troublemakers are sympathising with the cause of the Lalgarh agitators. And Trinamool is rooting for both these forces,” said Bhattacharjee, dripping sarcasm.
“The Trinamool has joined hands with the Maoists in Lalgarh,” said Bose, also the state secretary of the front’s major constituent, the Communist Party of India-Marxist (CPI-M).
“They are trying to divide people on communal and ethnic lines. We have to be alert about the unholy forces. We should launch a movement against these conspiracies,” he said.
Training his guns on Trinamool for opposing developmental and industrialisation efforts in the state, Bhattacharjee asked: “Why are they opposing all development activities?”
He ridiculed the Trinamool for raising the “bogey of environment pollution” to thwart the move to set up the chemical hub at the Nayachar Island near Haldia in East Midnapore district.
“It is a project both of the central and state governments. Are those at the centre who have given the go-ahead for the project totally ignorant? Are we fools? Are all those technical experts who want this project ignorant?” said Bhattacharjee, a member of the CPI-M’s politburo.
“Actually, they want to stop the state’s progress,” he said.
Stressing the need for keeping intact the unity of the front, Bhattacharjee pointed out the alliance had suffered in the rural body polls in June last year due to disunity in its ranks.
“We were not together during the panchayat polls. So we did not do well,” he said.
The chief minister said the front might have made some mistakes during its uninterrupted reign of 32 years, but the state has moved ahead on spheres like agriculture during the alliance’s rule.
The Left Front has been in power since 1977.