An aerial view of the traffic jam on one of the roads in Kolkata during the CPM election campaign rally organised in the metropolis on Sunday. — PTI
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Kolkata, January 8
In a rally organised at the Brigade Parade Ground today, the CPM leadership headed by veteran politburo leader Jyoti Basu and the state Chief Minister, Mr Buddhadeb Bhattacharjee, firmly resolved to create a new record of coming to power for a successive seventh term after the Assembly elections to be held in the state some time in May-June next.
The party workers and supporters were advised to be fully prepared to fight against the Congress and other reactionary and communal forces like the Trinamool Congress, BJP and its allies.
Both Mr Basu and Mr Bhattacharjee alerted party workers and supporters that though the Congress was openly against the BJP as far as ideology was concerned yet there would be a secret electoral understanding between the Congress and Ms Mamata Banerjee’s ‘mahajot’ with BJP as its partner, against the Left Front candidates.
Today’s rally, which was described as the beginning of the CPM’s formal election campaign for the forthcoming Assembly poll, paralysed the traffic and transport system in the city till late in the evening.
In his address, Mr Jyoti Basu asked the partymen to co-operate with the Election Commission to ensure free and fair poll. He claimed that the elections in the state had been free and fair ever since the Left Front had come to power in 1977 but still the anti-Left parties were levelling allegations of rigging and booth capturing against the CPM.
Mr Basu, however, said he was confident that the people of Bengal would caste their votes without any fear and would elect the CPM-led front government once again.
The Chief Minister once again made it clear that their support to the UPA at the Centre was conditional and the Left parties would not hesitate to openly contest against the Manmohan Singh government in the Parliament and outside. He, however, did not threaten to withdraw support from the UPA Government.
Mr Bhattacharjee reiterated that they would continue to oppose the UPA’s ‘pro-Bush policies” since these were serving the interests of capitalists. He criticised the Congress for trying to regain footing in the state in collusion with the TMC and the
BJP. The CPM state party secretary, Mr Anil Biswas, gave a call to the party men to work for a convincing victory for the party in the forthcoming elections. The Left Front Chairman, Mr Biman Bose, who presided over the meeting, also called upon the people to vote for the Left Front without any fear.
