Buddhadeb, Rahul share stage at Park Circus

In an irony of fate, former politburo member Buddhadeb Bhattacharjee on Wednesday shared dais with Congress vice-president Rahul Gandhi and to justify his presence called the meeting historic.

“It is a historic moment when Congress and CPI(M) have come together to set up a new Bengal,” he said. He was addressing a rally at Park Circus Maidan.

He said the alliance would come to power. Bhattacharjee shared garland with Rahul Gandhi and allowed Adhir Chowdhury to put an Uttariyo around his neck. 

However, he did not stand when Rahul Gandhi stopped his speech and Congress leaders stood up when aazan was being given from a nearby mosque. 

Bhattacharjee said the condition of the state had gone from bad to worse and it was not possible for the Left to oust Trinamool Congress. “So the alliance is the need of the hour,” he said.

This was for the first time since the inception of CPI(M) in the early 1960s that a former politburo member was found sharing dais with a Congress leader. 

Veteran leaders like EMS to Jyoti Basu, Harkissen Singh Surjeet to BTR considered it to be a crime to share the dais with Congress whom they call an agent of the capitalist forces.

Despite the alliance, no senior party leader is sharing the dais with the Congress. It may be mentioned that party secretary Sitaram Yechury did not share the podium with Adhir Chowdhury at Singur two days ago. Yechury reached the spot only after Chowdhury had left. 

Biman Bose, chairman of the Left Front is not sharing dais with Congress leaders. 

Also, they are very tactfully avoiding the word Congress and are calling the alliance as a tie up with the secular and democratic forces.

Unlike his comrades Bhattacharjee went two steps ahead and called the the alliance as Congress-CPI(M) tie up. 

He said in every department from health to education TMC had failed and on top of it had unleashed a reign of terror. 

“They are trying to create a fear psychosis and we will have to confront this,” he said, adding defeating Trinamool means ousting BJP from West Bengal.

Rahul Gandhi said law and order situation had deteriorated in the state. 

As there are no industries and the youth are not getting jobs. 

“The condition of Bengal in every aspect has gone down and steps should be taken to rejuvenate it,” Rahul said. 

He urged people to cast their votes in favour of the Congress candidates — Krishna Debnath in Ballygunge and Deepa Das Munshi in Bhowanipore.