Third meet : CPM-FB yet to attain unity. Unity impossible : FB.

 

COOCH BEHAR, April 9: Before conclusion of the third bipartite meeting of the CPI-M and the Forward Bloc at Cooch Behar district CPI-M office today, a senior Forward Bloc leader Mr Akshoy Thakur (Cooch Behar West MLA and a FB state secretariat member) burst out and went away leaving the CPI-M office after throwing a comment : 'the outcome of today's meet is zero'.

 

Later, when contacted, Mr Thakur said it is impossible to attain unity in the panchayat election. "We are not in a mood to swallow insulting comments to our party in the meeting. Let us contest alone and prove that no one depends on the other's pity", he said.

 

The FB leader said the district secretary of the party demanded ten seats in the Zilla Parishad tier and the CPI-M should accept it. If the 'big brother' feels any problem then it is useless to sit again to discuss seat-sharing issue, he opined. "Before inviting us for the next meeting the CPI-M should make up their mind for sharing ten ZP seats to the FB", Mr Thakur said.

 

The FB state secretariat member said both the parties may attain unity over seat adjustment at bloc level for Gram Panchayat and Panchayat Samity seats. At the same time Mr Thakur said that the CPI-M should stop its practice to field ghost candidates and claim them as theirs after defeating FB candidates.

 

On the otherhand, district CPI-M secretary and also the district Left Front convenor Mr Chandi Pal claimed that next bipartite meeting would be held on 11 April where the adjustment of seats may be finalised as it is yet incomplete. If required, the discussion may be rolled till 19 April, he said. He hoped that a total Left Front unity would be attained for the upcoming panchayat elections.

 

District Forward Bloc general secretary Mr Udayan Guha said no development was attained in the three meetings. Discussion will continue to get a positive result. He however failed to confirm whether more bipartite meets would be held to attain unity. "We will not take the responsibility to say that Left Front unity was not attained because we want it", Mr Guha said. To get the ball rolling one should have to take a softer stand and by that the CPI-M and the FB can reach to an understanding over sharing of seats, he opined. []