Aggrieved LF allies ready to fight separately

 

COOCH BEHAR, April 10: While the CPI-M and the Forward Bloc are yet to reach to a consensus over sharing of seats in the three-tier panchayat elections, the other Left Front partners – the CPI and the RSP – are getting ready to field candidates separately.

 

Soon after the inconclusive third round of bipartite talks held between the CPI-M and the Forward on Thursday, the CPI-M leadership sat with their counterparts in the CPI. In that meet it was decided that the leadership of both the parties would discuss the seat sharing issue at sub-division and block levels for the Gram Panchayat and Panchayat Samity seats.

 

The secretary of the Cooch Behar district unit of the CPI, Mr Surath Chakraborty said, "In the bipartite meeting we demanded at least one seat in the Zilla Parishad tier. The Left Front convenor cum the district CPI-M secretary told us that the issue would be discussed in the next Left Front meeting. Now we are waiting for the meet. It is upto the convenor to convene the meeting", he said. He demanded immediate convening of the district Left Front's meeting.

 

The CPI leader made it clear that they will field separate candidates if the talks on seat sharing fail to yield any honourable settlement. "It is not our lone responsibility to maintain the unity of the Left Front", Mr Chakraborty said. At the same time he however declared that they would participate in the Left Front's programme against price rise of essential commodities.

 

On the otherhand, Cooch Behar district RSP secretary Mr Gopal Chaki said they would have to contest the panchayat elections separately if the Left Front fails to take an initiative to resolve the problems of seat adjustment. "We will have to field our own candidates if the Left Front fails to meet our justified demands. We are not ready to stay aside from our demand of a seat in Zilla Parishad tier", Mr Chaki said. He too demanded an immediate meeting of the district Left Front.

 

Meanwhile, RSP sources said that they already started unofficial bipartite talks with the Forward Bloc over seat sharing at different areas. A RSP leader said a number of rebel CPI-M activists contacted them and asked for party symbol to contest the polls. As allotting of party symbols is not possible for the newcomers they may fight as RSP supported independent candidates.

 

In case of absence of a total LF unity, the RSP and its supported candidates may contest at areas like Nazirhat, Sitalkuchi, Choudhurihat, Bamanhat, Mathabhanga and Fulbari (Tufanganj). In some of these areas local adjustment with the Forward Bloc even in Panchayat Samity seats is on the cards to teach the CPI-M a lesson for its 'big brotherly' attitude, a RSP leader said.

 

When asked the district Left Front convenor and also the district CPI-M secretary Mr Chandi Pal said they are hopeful about a total Left Front consensus in the panchayat elections in Cooch Behar district. Bipartite talk was held with the CPI on Wednesday and another round of talks may be held with the RSP, if necessary. He however opined that there is no mentionworthy problem with the RSP and that may be resolved at local level. Replying a question Mr Pal said a meeting of the district Left Front may be held after conclusion of the bipartite talks with the LF partners. []