CPI(M) general secretary Prakash Karat has decided to hold the next central committee meet in Kolkata from December 17 to 19 to ensure the presence of former West Bengal chief minister Buddhadeb Bhattachar-jee. Shell shocked by the Left Front’s humiliating exit from power and the decimation of the CPI(M) in Bengal, Mr Bhatt-acharjee has persistently skipped central committee and
politburo meetings. He had earlier offered to resign from the party’s apex body and had also skipped the crucial politburo and central committee meetings which were held in Hyderabad to chart out the contours of the ideological documents which will be placed in the 20th party congress to be held in Kerala in 2012.
Significantly, Mr Bhattacharjee who has become self-recluse these days, still thinks that there is nothing left to discuss. In any case, he still feels that it was Mr Karat’s decision to withdraw support from the UPA 1 on an issue that was quite “Greek to the majority” which spelt doom for the party and the Front, a close associate of the former chief minister said. He also rejected the suggestion that Mr Bhattacharjee was too ashamed to face the central leadership.
Obviously, Mr Bhattacharjee is under tremendous pressure after the crushing rout of the party in the Assembly election. To add ignominy to the defeat, Mr Bhattacharjee failed to save his own seat. This apart, a section of party leaders believe that it was Mr Bhattacharjee’s industrialisation overdrive and in particular, his land acquisition policy which alienated a large section of the people in the state.
While some leaders are criticising him for his mis-adventure, another section has come forward to rally behind him. “Although he has not been participating in the highest body meets outside Bengal but it would be wrong to jump to a conclusion that a leader like him is sitting idle in the AC room in Alimuddin Street,” party central committee member Gautam Deb said