Forward Bloc rues lack of ‘tall leaders’

In the run-up to its party Congress, the Forward Bloc Central Committee has lamented the lack of ‘‘tall leaders’’ and &#...

In the run-up to its party Congress, the Forward Bloc Central Committee has lamented the lack of ‘‘tall leaders’’ and ‘‘good speakers’’ who can forcefully put across the Left’s view in Parliament.

The Central Committee feels the Left’s impact on parliamentary debates has diminished despite recording its best-ever Lok Sabha showing last year — it has 61 MPs in the Lower House.

‘‘We have the numbers as never before, but do not seem to have quality speakers to put across the Left’s point of view forcefully in Parliament. There is a lack in the leadership. At least, that is view our party took at the Central Committee meeting,’’ Forward Bloc general secretary Debrata Biswas said.

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The Left has been feeling the pinch ever since the articulate Somnath Chatterjee became Lok Sabha Speaker. The CPI(M)’s decision to send Sitaram Yechury and Brinda Karat to the Rajya Sabha has been influenced in part by the desire to have articulate speakers in Parliament.

The Left also seems to be missing the role it played in getting the Opposition together during the 13th Lok Sabha and the way it dominated debates.

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