CPI(M) men skip rally to enjoy festive spirit

Important tourist spots in the city like Indian Museum and Alipore Zoological Garden on Sunday seemed to have turned into a miniature of the Brigade Parade Ground as hundreds of CPI(M) supporters were found to have been visiting these places to drench in the spirit of festive season. 

Many of these supporters with party batches on their shirt managed to skip the rally, which the CPI(M) leaders have termed as “show of strength”. CPI(M) leaders might have made some bold assertions at the rally and tried to send across a message that they will bounce back with renewed vigor. But the message seemed not to have reached to all of their ground level workers to whom it was nothing but a trip outside their home town in the festive season. 

Many of the CPI(M) supporters, who came here in the city from the far off districts to attend their party meeting, were found visiting the city’s important tourist destinations which were situated nearby. They did not even bother to remove their batches before stepping out of the brigade ground probably because this could make their senior leaders angry while joining back with the team while returning home.  

A party member of CPI(M) from Jalpaiguri district, who refused to be named, was found visiting the Indian Museum along with some of his fellow comrades on Sunday afternoon. They said that they do not get enough opportunity to visit the city as they live in a far away district. “As we get an opportunity to visit Kolkata to attend the party programme, we did not wanted to miss the chance of visiting the city’s important tourist destination. After coming here at the brigade parade ground, we decided to visit the Indian Museum located nearby.”

When they were asked why they skipped the rally for which they travelled a long distance, a CPI(M) activist in the group said: “We came here at the brigade ground in the morning. We listened to some of the leaders who had delivered their lecture earlier. But how long we will stay there. So we decided to visit in the nearby museum. We even told the matter to our local leader.”

Interestingly, when these people were seen queuing outside the Indian Museum in festive mood, some others were roaming here and there in the nearby stalls, Left Front chairman Biman Basu on the stage had been asking the party supporters to get united and go to the people in order to revitalise their party organisation back home.