WEST BENGAL ASSEMBLY ELECTION

Forward Bloc's ex-MP contests as Trinamul candidate

Former Lok Sabha member Mr Hiten Barman won as a Left Front sponsored Forward Bloc candidate. In 2009 his party replaced him with another candidate, Mr Nripendra Nath Roy. Annoyed with the decision of the party leadership he got himself dissociated with the Forward Bloc. Later he was removed from the party. As he failed to take decision hastily to join the Trinamul Congress it also failed to offer him candidature to the Lok Sabha seat then. Now, Mr Barman appeared in the scenario again and he is contesting from Sitalkuchi Assembly segment, which was once a CPI-M den.

Mr Barman was once a loyal soldier of the legendary Forward Bloc leader, Kamal Guha. Now, his loyalty is to the Trinamul Supremo Ms Mamata Banerjee. In the Trinamul Congress he is a vice-president. 

Mr Barman said the Trinamul Congress is an actual believer of leftist ideology. At Singur and Nandigram it sided itself with the peasants and the Left Front had protected the Tatas. Mere bearing of red flags cannot make one a leftist. "I left the Forward Bloc due to difference of ideology and I am now campaigning against under development during the LF rule", he said.

He admitted that problems rose among the local leaders and supporters of the Trinamul Congress after announcement of his name as a candidate. Such things happen everywhere and here too it cooled down. Supporters of all sections of the party are now working jointly against the CPI-M candidate, he claimed.

Mr Barman said he was involved in the movement demanding formation of Uttar Banga Unnayan Parshad. During the LF regime nothing was done to improve the UBUP and so North Bengal is still an underdeveloped region. After formation of the Trinamul-led state government he will engage himself in improving the UBUP, he promised.

The former FB MP said the CPI-M already admitted its defeat and so they fielded a new candidate at Sitalkuchi. The outgoing CPI-M MLA Mr Harish Barman was an unsuccessful man as he failed to bring good to the people of the area, the Trinamul leader added.