Author: Santanu Banerjee
Publication: The Indian Express
Date: January 1, 2003
URL: http://www.indianexpress.com/archive_full_story.php?content_id=15795
A barrage of criticism by the Forward
Bloc, coinciding with a massive CPI rally after 12 years, seems to have
unnerved the Left Front big brother as it had never done before.
While an emergency LF meeting began
today with a congratulatory note to the CPI for having ''organised such
a massive rally'', senior CPI(M) leaders skipped all reference to FB's
tirades which alleged that ''a section of the landed class has entered
the CPI(M)''.
Left Front chairman Biman Basu,
in fact, admitted later during the day that ''lack of frequent bilateral
talks lead to such misunderstandings and if the Forward Bloc could give
sustainable evidence of corruption against any CPI(M) leader at the Panchayat
level, we would inquire into it''. This was a volte face of sorts after
state party secretary Anil Biswas' said that ''the Forward Bloc is speaking
trash''.
Biswas also advised the Bloc to
discuss their misgivings at the Left Front forum, as outbursts in public
would only strengthen the hands of rivals like Trinamool, Congress and
the BJP. The FB had hurled expletive at the big brother at their farmers'
convention in Goghat, Hooghly, which concluded today.
While the Left Front chairman tried
his best to win over the angry partners, FB state secretary Ashoke Ghosh
said: ''We don't depend on a good boy certificate from the CPI(M) to prove
that we're a Left party. If Anil Babu believed in discussion why did he
go to the press saying that we would strengthen the hands of Trinamool
and BJP?''
Ghosh, who said that the Bloc was
ready for bilateral talks, claimed that ''in Midnapore, Hooghly and Howrah,
landowners changed loyalties to CPI(M) overnight during the 1983 panchayat
election. What's wrong in saying that we believe in transparency ?''
And the CPI(M) did not miss the
message and is willing to give more when it meets for seat-sharing in the
panchayat polls. ''We don't think that this is negative criticism by the
FB. It's the press which created this controversy,'' said Basu.
