Left Front : Junior partners unhappy

 

COOCH BEHAR, April 7: When the CPI-M is busy in wooing the Forward Bloc for a joint fight against the 'opposition and reactionary forces' in the upcoming three-tier panchayat elections in Cooch Behar district, the other Left Front partners – the CPI and RSP – are unhappy. They alleged that there is no valid Left Front in this district. It is merely an alliance of the CPI-M and the Forward Bloc. They demanded an immediate meeting of the District Left Front over sharing of seats.

 

The secretary of Cooch Behar district CPI, Mr Surath Chakraborty said they had asked the District Left Front convenor three times to convene a meeting. The LF convenor, Mr Chandi Pal told them that the LF meeting would be held after conclusion of the bipartite meeting between the CPI-M and the Forward Bloc. Mr Chakraborty alleged that in Cooch Behar district Left Front means an alliance of the CPI-M and the FB. They take decision and later impose it on others as the decision of the LF. "We are not in a mood to tolerate this anymore", he said.

 

The CPI leader said they decided that they would initiate talks with the Forward Bloc and the RSP over sharing of seats and smooth running of the Left Front. In this district a total Left Front unity may not be possible, he opined. "Though we are in favour of Left Front's unity we will contest according to our strength", he declared. At the same time he said that they will demand at least one Zilla Parishad seat as the number of ZP seats increased to twenty-nine from twenty-six.

 

Cooch Behar district RSP is too unhappy over the functioning of the Left Front. Secretary of the party's district unit, Mr Gopal Chaki said they had asked the Left Front convenor to convene LF meeting but got no reply. "We will field candidates according to our organisational strength if the LF tries to ignore our demand", he said. The LF is not the sole property of the CPI-M and the Forward Bloc, he opined.

 

The RSP leader said they are in favour of LF unity but the LF should consider the RSP's legitimate share of seats in the three-tier panchayat system. "In Zilla Parishad too we want a seat", Mr Chaki said. There is no total Left Front unity in Cooch Behar district though it was expected, he opined. "The joint platform of the CPI-M and the FB is not the actual Left Front", the RSP leader added. []

 

FB for friendly fight against CPM

 

COOCH BEHAR, April 7: Though no unity was achieved in the two bipartite meetings between the CPI-M and the Forward Bloc, the district FB general secretary Mr Udayan Guha is hopeful about it. "We must welcome if the unity can be attained in block level for the gram panchayat and panchayat samity seats", he said. Mr Guha claimed that there was Left Front unity but the difference is over sharing of seats only. They may have to initiate a 'friendly fight' against the CPI-M in the elections if the situation demands, he opined. At the same time he declared they would participate in the movement against price hike jointly with the CPI-M from 10 April to 16 April.

 

Mr Guha opined that the Forward Bloc should get seats according to its organisational strength. One should not consider who was defeated in which seat in the previous election. If one takes the seat sharing issue as the scale to measure the Left Front unity then it was not achieved till now, he explained.

 

District CPI-M secretary and also the Left Front convenor, Mr Chandi Pal said both the parties would discuss at bloc level for sharing of seats. He hoped that unity will be achieved between the two parties and they will fight the elections unitedly. In Zilla Parishad the difference is over the newly created seats only, he said. On 9 April the leaders of the two parties will meet again to sort out problems, he added. "We already achieved unity as a policy and agreed to follow the Left Front's formula. Now we must try to achieve total unity", he declared.

 

Replying a question Mr Pal said a joint resolution was adopted in the bipartite meet of yesterday about holding of talks at bloc level. Now it is upto the FB leadership to deny or admit it. Referring the CPI and the RSP Mr Pal said there is little difference with them and so talks will be held with them later after making the things right with the FB. He mentioned that all partners would have to obey the formula laid by the Left front over sharing of seats – in state level and in the districts. On the otherhand the partners should realise whether they have the organisational capacity to win the seats concerned, if offered, the CPI-M leader opined. []