By IANS,
Kolkata : West Bengal’s ruling Left Front lost its hold in four districts in the panchayat elections because of lack of unity among its constituents, Transport, Sports and Youth Services Minister Subhas Chakraborty said Thursday.
“The Left Front partners must take immediate steps to amend the situation,” Chakraborty said here, a day after election results stunned the Left alliance, in particular its leader, the Communist Party of India-Marxist (CPI-M).
“The results are a clear indication that there is lack of unity and harmony among the Front constituents that led to this setback. I firmly believe that no party can turn victorious against the Left Front unless the party is internally divided,” CPI-M’s Chakraborty told reporters.
But CPI-M state secretary Biman Bose said: “There is no point in discussing what already has happened. Instead we must take measures so that this is not repeated in future. I request all the Left Front partners to maintain peace and discipline so that we can work at the cracks within before the situation goes out of control.
“We have to discuss and sort out matters among ourselves at the soonest,” Bose said.
The panchayat polls results seemed to have opened fresh fissures in the Left Front, with the Revolutionary Socialist Party (RSP) blaming ‘big brother’ CPI-M for bowing to big business.
“The panchayat results will not hamper or stop industrialisation,” declared Commerce and Industry Minister Nirupam Sen.
The Left Front suffered an erosion in its rural base though it managed to retain its domination in 13 of the 17 districts in elections to the three-tier self-government bodies Wednesday.
The ruling combine was wiped out in Nandigram and Singur, areas which saw massive opposition-sponsored protests against the state government’s drive to acquire land for setting up industries.
East Midnapore district, where Nandigram is located, jolted the Front, which lost the Zila Parishad – the top tier of the panchayat system – to the Trinamool Congress after an uninterrupted reign of three decades.