The CPI(M) on Sunday started its poll campaign sending positive vibes for “like-minded groups who are against the demonic regime unleashed by Mamata Banerjee in Bengal” and asking them to put up a united fight against the Trinamool Congress in order to “throw it out of power” in the next year’s Assembly elections.
Addressing a huge rally at Kolkata’s Brigade Parade Ground, party general secretary Sitaram Yechury Opposition leader Suryakanto Mishra, former Chief Minister Buddhadeb Bhattacharya and Mohammand Salimjointly raised a cry for ousting the Mamata Banerjee Government “which has given nothing but death, violence, rape and corruption to Bengal.”
In Bengal “Mamata Banerjee does a mock fight against BJP but as soon as the CBI intensifies its activities in chit fund probe she rushes to Delhi to save her”, said Salim adding days were approaching fast when “a large number of Cabinet colleagues and MPs will be in jail and she will also have to explain a lot of things.”
Those who had “written off the Marxists saying they are an irrelevant force should come and see the record-breaking gathering”, the former Chief Minister said adding the days had come when the CPI(M), left Front and the like-minded people should come together to oust the Trinamool from Bengal.
He was echoed by Tripura Chief Minister Manik Sarkar who said the Marxists would have to “approach even those who are not from the left Front including those who were with the Trinamool Congress but are against it today and those who are still within ruling party but are thoroughly dejected.”
Curiously Yechury had on Saturday told reporters --- while answering a question as to whether the Marxists were willing to ally with the Congress --- that, his party was not against making adjustments with “secular democratic” forces who were fighting against the Trinamool regime.
Hours later, State Congress president Adhir Chowdhury had told the media that his party would not go with the Trinamool. When asked as to whether it held the same view about the left he said “for now I can tell you that we are not going to ally with the Trinamool Congress.”
From Sunday’s rally Yechury gave a call to remove Banerjee from State and BJP from the Centre to save India and Bengal respectively. “There is an urgent need to remove BNP from India and Trinamool from Bengal to save the country and the State” he said adding how the “communal forces are making full effort to break the unity of the country for the purpose of garnering votes.”
The Sunday’s rally tends to come as a huge shot in the arm for the CPI(M) which managed to amass about 7-8 lakh people though the party leadership said the meeting could be equated with the one held during Khrushchev’s visit to Kolkata when about 15 lakh people joined it.
Attacking the Trinamool for deteriorating law and order situation of the State where “no woman is safe” politburo member Brinda Karat said “during left rule the women were safe and secured in the State but today the Bengal tops the list in terms of crime against women.”
Going back to the party’s industrialization cry Suryakanto Mishra revived the Singur and Nandigram issues that caused the left its biggest electoral loss in 2011 and vowed to “bring back industry to Singur, Nandigram and Purulia if we come to power.”