Mind the media, Left cadres urged

The CPI state secretary Manju Kumar Majumdar criticised the role of the media which he felt played down the "success of the Left Front", and the CPM agreed on the issue of the "vicious attempt to rancour peoples’ opinion against the Left".

The CPM state committee, which met here yesterday to decide its poll strategy for the coming Panchayat election, also asked its cadres to listen to people while carrying out party campaigns for the Panchayat poll. Expressing serious concern over the BJP’s emergence in state, CPM’s West Bengal chairman Sailen Dasguptaasked party men and the LF constituents to take the emergence of the Trinamool-BJP axis seriously and leave nothing to chances.

Neutralising the former trend in WB politics could only be achieved through unity of the Left and democratic forces in the state, party leaders opined.

The CPM’s state leadership strongly urged the party to accommodate youth in party and for giving them due representation in the coming Panchayat election.

The CPI State Council, which met under the leadership of Nanda Gopal Bhattacharya here today, said the party’s post-LS election review pointed to the fact that LF did well in 205 Assembly segments out of 294.

"But that doesn’t leave us with any room for complacency during the Panchayat poll," the state council cautioned. The council warned the LF constituents to take the issue of Left unity seriously while they vow to fight the Trinamool-BJP combine in the Panchayat elections.

Blaming the UF leadership for setbacks during the recent LS election, the state council felt thecontradictory statements by UF leaders only alienated voters from the secular and left parties. The council voiced the opinion that that I K Gujral’s last-minute seat adjustment with the Akalis and the CPM general secretary’s pro-Congress statements contributed to undermining the secular credentials of the voters and confused them further.

"Left unity vital"