By IANS,
Kolkata: Blaming the Left Front’s rout in the West Bengal assembly elections on the state government’s wrong steps and its evitation from ethics, the Communist Party of India (CPI) Monday charged the front major, the Communist Party of India-Marxist (CPI-M), with ignoring the other partners.
“The debacle did not occur in a day. It was the outcome of the grievances of the people against the Left Front for long,” said CPI state secretary Manju Kumar Mazumder.
He said the LF government had taken several wrong steps, which were pointed out several times.
“But the CPI-M ignored all those issues. If they had heeded our views, the debacle would not have happened,” Mazumder told reporters, presenting the party’s analysis of the LF’s defeat in the April-May assembly polls.
“We have discussed with our leaders of all districts at length to find out the reasons for this debacle. It was revealed that the LF had deviated from its ethics and policies,” he said.
Majumdar also said there was no distinction between the LF and its government. “The LF for us is an instrument of struggle, while the LF government functioned within constitutional limitations.”
“But the CPI-M being the major constituent preferred to ignore the minor constituents’ suggestions,” he alleged.
The CPI leader termed as “irresponsible” the state policies like acquiring fertile land for the Tata Motors’ Nano project in Hooghly district’s Singur, inviting Indonesia-based Salim group to invest in the state, and the killing of 14 people in police firing at Nandigram to stop the anti-land acquisition movement. These factors were responsible for the front’s defeat, he asserted.
Criticising the CPI-M, Mazumder said: “Had the LF leaders paid due importance to the suggestions of all constituents like us, the political disaster could have been avoided.”
However, he affirmed that the CPI would continue in the LF which was the “best alternative for the people of Bengal because they will realise very shortly that the Trinamool Congress and Congress led government is depriving them”.
“We will be in the LF and we believe that an improved LF will emerge in the coming days,” said Mazumder.