CPI holds CPI(M) responsible for debacle in Assembly polls

Among them, the CPI(M) got 26 seats and the Left Front partners namely the RSP, the Forward Bloc and the CPI have received 3, 2 and 1 seat respectively.  While analysing the poll results, the CPI found that due to hobnobbing with the Congress, the CPI(M) had deliberately neglected the Left Front partners. 

The CPI had fielded 11 candidates and its lone candidate Ashok Dinda won from Tamluk seat. Dinda defeated Nirbed Roy of the Trinamool Congress by a slender margin of 540 votes.  The leaders alleged that the CPI(M) in many constituencies had supported the Congress against LF partners. 

Veteran CPI leaders who preferred anonymity alleged CPI(M) of step motherly attitude. 

“When Suryakanta Misra met Adhir Chowdhury, we were not even informed. We got the information through newspapers. When problems crop up over seat adjustment, a meeting was held in the office of Ganashakti, CPI(M)’s Bengali organ keeping Front leaders in the dark. 

As a face saving measure, Biman Bose called up and said that there was no alliance and hence the question of seat adjustment did not arise.” 

The leaders said when the Left Front was formed in 1977 it tried to iron out all the mistakes of the United Front. It was then decided that every issue would be discussed in the Left Front. 

“Except this time all the Front leaders had honoured this decision,” they said. 

They   regretted that it was most unfortunate that for the first time in the past 39 years, CPIM broke the convention and “ did not give weigtage  to the Front partners.” 

The leaders said  people  did not take the alliance seriously  as “there was confusion from the beginning.”  The leaders said “on one hand  Central Committee  of CPI(M) made it very clear that  there was no alliance. 

“The AICC also made similar observation. But leaders of CPI(M) and Congress  called this an alliance  and shared dais  against the wishes of the Central leadership. In Singur, Sitaram Yehchury  did not share the dais with Adhir Chowdhury and came only  after he had left,”   they maintained, adding that people have understood that this was an alliance of convenience and  they voted against it. 

It was primarily due to this,  Congress supporters did not vote the CPI(M) or LF allies and  the result was disastrous. 

The leaders commented that the alliance had helped Mamata Banerjee to consolidate her seats.

When asked how do they see the future of Left Front, the leaders said “we have to wait and watch  but unless CPIM gives up its ego, the future of LF is surely  bleak.”