West Bengal

Those who have written off the CPI(M) and the Left Front on the basis of these results are not only mistaken but will be proved wrong. Despite the electoral reverses, the Left Front has got the support of one crore 96 lakh people which is over 41 per cent of the votes polled. The CPI(M) and the Left Front will unitedly work to expand this support base by assiduously championing the people’s interests both within the assembly and outside and launching struggles of the working people.

The Polit Bureau strongly condemns the killing of CPI(M) leader, Jiten Nandi, a member of the Zonal Committee of the Party in Garbeta in West Midnapore district. This murder perpetrated by TMC men is the first death in the post-poll violence. Reports are pouring in of widespread attacks on Party offices, houses of cadres and supporters in different parts of West Bengal.

The CPI(M) accepts the verdict of the people. The Party will analyse the results carefully and come to proper conclusions about the electoral reverse. After the Left Front being in office for a record 34 years continuously, the people have opted for a change. The TMC-led combine has been the beneficiary of this change.

We urge the Commission to ensure security deployment in such a manner that the continuing criminal activities, terrorization and intimidation by criminal and miscreants of the TMC is brought to a halt.

CPI(M) Polit Bureau Member and Rajya Sabha MP, Sitaram Yechury, has in a letter written to the Home Minister, Shri P Chidambaran drawn attention to yet another serious development regarding the Maoist-TMC nexus in West Bengal. The full text of the letter is being released herewith.

It is well known that of the 333 civilians killed in the three Maoist violence-affected districts in 2009 and 2010, around 230 belonged to the Left parties. In no other Maoist violence-affected state can you find such a large number of civilian casualties, nor do they consist of political opponents of the Maoists.

The Union Government also has a responsibility, which you have not only acknowledged but acted upon by taking some initiatives. And, may we add that it is necessary to desist from taking positions which undermine the spirit of resistance that seeks to bring an end to Maoist violence and depredations.

This is a strange way of communication between the Union Home Minister and the Chief Minister of a state. The media is fully briefed about the letter even before the Chief Minister gets it. This shows that the purpose of the letter is to serve the political interests of the Trinamul Congress which is part of the Union Government.