Fuming over Left affront,RSP vows to pull the plug on Siliguri mayor

Sources said RSP has written to the CPM,saying its lone councillor had voted on instructions from the district Left Front convener Ashok Bhattacharya,a CPM state committee member and state Urban Development Minister. Bhattacharya allegedly told the RSP councillor to vote for the Congress mayoral candidate as the decision was taken at the state level of the Left-Front committee. But no such decision was taken in any of the Left Front meetings,the RSP alleged.

Sources said the decision to support the Congress was taken at a CPM state secretariat meeting held at its state headquarters on Alimuddin Street. Chief Minister Buddhadeb Bhattacharjee and party state secretary Biman Bose were present in the meeting. The CPM informed the Forward Bloc about the decision immediately after the meeting.

“We have learnt that after the meeting was over,Bose called up Ashok Bhattacharya and conveyed the party decision. Bhattacharya followed the diktat from the party brass,” said a senior RSP leader.

“How is Bimanda saying that the decision was taken at the district level? He had communicated the decision to Forward Bloc leader Ashok Ghosh but avoided the RSP,” he added.

CPM’s state secretariat meeting on Friday discussed the issue and told Bose to resolve the issue before the Siliguri

Municipal Board goes to the vote of confidence.

“In fact,the decision was taken unilaterally by the CPM. Why will we share it?” said a senior RSP leader.

“Our principle is to oppose the Congress in every election. We cannot support it only to teach a lesson to the Trinamool. Both the parties are our political enemies. How can the CPM take a decision violating our basic principle,” said Kshiti Goswami,RSP leader and state PWD Minister.