By IANS,
Kolkata: With political clashes in West Bengal on the rise, the state’s ruling Left Front major Communist Party of India-Marxist (CPI-M) Sunday called for resisting efforts to foment lawlessness by organising the masses.
“We have to rally the masses and organise protests and resistance patiently without getting provoked against efforts to create lawlessness and terror,” CPI-M state secretary Biman Bose told media persons after a two-day extended session of the state unit.
Bose said party general secretary Prakash Karat noted during the session that Leftists have been the victim of vicious attacks across the country since the Lok Sabha polls last year.
“West Bengal is the epicentre of such attacks. We see the struggles of the party and other Left forces in the state as part of this all-India fight,” Bose quoted Karat as saying.
The CPI-M general secretary said efforts were on across the nation to intensify the party’s activities and movements and build up a joint movement of leftist parties, who will hold an all-party meeting in Delhi March 12.
In an apparent reference to the Gorkhaland agitation in the northern part of the state, Karat said the politics of identity is being brought to the fore to break class unity. “Such efforts will be stepped up in the future also. We have to ensure class unity by launching a class struggle and intensifying our political work.”
During the session, Chief Minister Buddhadeb Bhattacharjee, who is also party politburo member, stressed the need for building public opinion against those perpetrating atrocities, Bose said.
“People will resist such forces,” he said.
According to figures the chief minister gave out in the assembly late last year, 69 people were killed in clashes between Jan 1 and Nov 13, 2009. Twelve policemen were also killed in the same period.
Asked whether the party was giving a call to use arms to resist the violence targeted at its members, Bose said: “We have not said any such thing. Arms do not make history. People make history”.
On the Gorkhaland issue, Bhattacharjee said the only solution to the problem lay in providing regional autonomy to the three hill subdivisions of Darjeeling district – Darjeeling, Kurseong and Kalimpong. “We have to be patient in our bid to solve the problem,” Bose quoted Bhattacharjee as saying.
The chief minister also emphasised on organising political rallies and campaign against the Maoists to back up administrative action. The ultra-Left groups are active in three western districts – Bankura, West Midnapore and Purulia.
In a self-introspective mood, the party urged its cadres to change their ways and means as part of improving their function as a communist and evaluate their work in the light of public reaction.