By IANS,
Kolkata : The Communist Party of India (CPI) Sunday blamed the debacle of West Bengal’s ruling Left Front in the Lok Sabha polls on “some blunders” of the state government, including the manner of land acquisition for industries.
Briefing reporters on the deliberations at the party’s two-day state council meeting that reviwed the LF’s dismal show in the elections, CPI general secretary A.B. Bardhan criticised the state’s land acquisition process that had led to widespread protests.
“Our party is not against industrialisation, but the land acquisition process was not right. The state government should know how to carry on the process of industrialisation in a Leftist way within the constitutional framework,” the veteran communist said.
The state’s ruling Left Front is led by the Communist party of India-marxist (CPI-M) and it includes three parties including the CPI.
Dwelling on the “blunders” of the state government, he said it was equally important to revive old, ailing and closed industries along with setting up new ones.
“Our party has always believed that both of them are equally important.
“We have to admit that the government made some blunders. There were also some issues specific to the state which led to this result,” he said.
The CPI leader denied that his party had been late in realising the important of such issues.
“Our party did raise these things in the LF and other fora. We intend doing the same in LF meets again.”
The LF was badly mauled by the opposition in the April-May polls. While the ruling combine secured only 15 of the state’s 42 seats, the Congress-Trinammol Congress and Socialist Unity Centre of India (SUCI) alliance won 26 and the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) one.