Kolkata, Mar 15 (PTI) The West Bengal CPI(M) on Tuesday said that the party will take on the Trinamool Congress and the BJP in West Bengal and will strive to bring together like-minded forces for the purpose.
Claiming that democracy is under attack in the state, CPI(M) state secretary Surjya Kanta Mishra said on the inaugural day of the three-day 26th state conference of the party that the fight against both TMC and BJP is a general policy of the party irrespective of elections.
“The ruling dispensation is unable to tackle the RSS-BJP ideologically,” Mishra told a press conference at Pramod Dasgupta Bhavan here, where the conference was inaugurated by party general secretary Sitaram Yechury.
He said that the CPI(M) will strive to bring together anti-Trinamool and anti-BJP forces in West Bengal.
“We will take on these two parties ourselves with like-minded forces where we have the strength and in other places will provide support to those who are fighting against them with a legitimate demand,” he said.
While alleging that free and fair elections in various levels, including the recently held municipal polls, have ceased to exist under the TMC rule, Mishra admitted that support of people for CPI(M) has decreased over the years.
“We have to go a long way to be a dependable alternative for the people,” he said.
The CPI(M) leader said that as per the last municipal elections, the party has in the state left behind the BJP to become the main contender of the ruling TMC.
Claiming that the polarisation of votes between TMC and BJP is fading slowly, he expressed confidence that the support for the Left parties will increase steadily.
He said that a draft report on the elections held in the state over the last four years and movements launched by the party during this period have been placed in the conference.
Mishra said that the conference will deliberate on the situation in the state, the party’s experience in agitations and movements, its achievements and drawbacks, He said that the party, in its analysis, has found that the economic condition of West Bengal, which is being ruled by the TMC since 2011, is in a sorry state.
“Even if a new government takes over, it will be difficult to repair the damages done to the state’s economy,” Mishra said, adding that there is no basic difference between the economic policies being pursued by the state and the BJP-ruled Centre.
Claiming that the TMC government is pursuing crony capitalism, he said that it is evident in the Deucha Pachami coal mine project which the Mamata Banerjee government is pushing.
He said that it is not yet clear how financially viable the project will be, given the issues like the depth at which the coal bed is situated and the extraction process for which technology by foreign companies will be required.
Mishra claimed that the residents of villages in Deucha Pachami in Birbhum district are agitating over their demands on livelihood and effects on the environment. PTI AMR NN NN
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