Badly hit in West Bengal with a solace victory in Kerala, the CPI(M) general Secretary Sitaram Yechury on Thursday said his party accepts the “people’s verdict” in the West Bengal Assembly polls with “all humility” and will introspect on the results.
“We accept the verdict of the people of W Bengal with all humility. Compliments to all comrades, supporters and those who have stood by us. We will introspect on the results. It is a challenge which we shall meet with all our strength. lal salaam (sic),” Yechury tweeted.
“We respect the verdict of the people with all the humility in Bengal. We will examine and review the results in order to draw proper lessons from it. We though salute our comrades, who worked unitedly despite the attacks by TMC,” Yechury told reporters here.
Yechury observed the BJP could open its account in Kerala due to vote transfer between the saffron party and Congress. “Similarly, in West Bengal, the BJP benefited due to its match fixing with TMC,” Yechury said. He though noted the BJP’s voting percentage during the polls shown decline vis-a-vis its 2014 lok Sabha election performance.
He, however, added that the vote share of CPI(M) has remained more or less the same in the State for the party as compared to the 2014 lok Sabha elections. But at the same time he alleged that a reign of terror was unleashed on left cadres in West Bengal. “There is no other go. We have to face it. left cadres stood up to face it, to combat it. Had they not stood up, the results would have been different,” he told a press conference.
Yechury said that 200 of left cadres have been killed in West Bengal in the five year rule of Trinamool Congress. “We could not reach out to the people due to this,” he claimed.
CPI(M) leader, Prakash Karat, said the “big” win for left Democratic Front (lDF) in Kerala was due to the people of the state having rejected the “corrupt” United Democratic Front Government.
“lDF has registered a big victory in Kerala because the people have endorsed a platform for a corruption-free government. The people have rejected the UDF government, its misrule and corruption,” the former CPI(M) general secretary said.