CPI(M) disagrees with proposal to go soft on TMC

Shubhadeep Choudhury
Tribune News Service
Kolkata, November 22

Left Front convener Biman Bose on Sunday said the CPI-ML (Liberation) stance of treating the BJP as enemy number one in West Bengal was not acceptable to CPI-M.

CPI-ML (Liberation) general secretary Dipankar Bhattacharya, following the party’s success in Bihar where it won 12 seats in the recently concluded assembly elections as a part of the RJD-led grand alliance, has been airing the view that BJP should be singled out for attack in the assembly elections slated to take pace in West Bengal in April-May 2021.

Answering a question in a press conference here today, Bose said CPI-ML (Liberation) was a political party on its right and it was entitled to have its views. However, Left parties of West Bengal did not agree with this assessment and would like to direct their attack against both TMC and BJP.

Mamata Banerjee-led TMC was the ruling party in West Bengal, Bose pointed out and reiterated the charge that TMC and BJP were having an understanding.

“Somebody from the state government (read Mamata Banerjee) spoke to Union Home Minister Amit Shah’s son when the ongoing investigations into cattle smuggling and illegal coal business picked up momentum. Why the phone conversation took place exactly at that point of time – neither before, not after,” Bose asked.

The veteran CPI(M) leader, who was addressing media persons after a meeting of the Left parties and their allies at the CPI(M) state office here, claimed it was clear that TMC and BJP were having a relationship.

“We cannot turn a blind eye to this like an ostrich,” Bose said.

Bose said while the BJP indulged in communal politics openly, the TMC practiced competitive communalism.

Jyotibabu (iconic CPI-M leader late Jyoti Basu) used to repeatedly say that the biggest crime committed by TMC was to bring the BJP to Bengal, Bose said.

Asked for updates on the proposed electoral alliance between Left parties and Congress in West Bengal for the assembly elections), Bose replied that election did not figure in the discussions when the two sides had a meeting in Kolkata on Wednesday.

“It was decided that we would discuss the issue of elections after November 26 (the day of the nation-wide strike call given by 10 trade unions). A date will be fixed for the meeting,” Bose said.

When a reporter pointed out that TMC and BJP had already switched into the election gear and was not time was running out for the CPI-M and Congress to firm up their electoral arrangement, Bose said he did not think they (CPI-M and allies) were lagging behind in making preparation for the elections.

The 16 party meeting held here today chalked out various programmes to be taken up jointly in November and December including the strike call on Thursday, Bose said.

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