Biman Bose & Buddha face ire of Bengal cadre
A section of Bengal comrades also highlighted the fact that the state had attracted maximum attention from the central government and the Prime Minister’s Office during Manmohan Singh’s tenure.
By ET Bureau |
KOLKATA: General secretary Prakash Karat may have defended himself and his party against charges that CPM was undemocratic in expelling Somnath Chatterjee, but the CPM rank and file in West Bengal believe that by taking on a senior leader from the state, Karat and company are trying to undermine the significance of Bengal within the party.
A major section of the state���s party members are equally disappointed with their state leaders like Biman Bose, Buddhadeb Bhattacharjee and Nirupam Sen, who, for what seems like an inexplicable reason, are backing the central leadership, despite Karat���s Kerala lobby constantly getting the upper hand.
A senior CPM secretariat member pointed out: ���The existence of the party virtually depends on West Bengal. We contribute the maximum number of MPs. The party would lose its national identity without the absolute support of Bengal comrades. Most leaders in Delhi, who are Rajya Sabha MPs, have got elected from the state,��� said the irate leader.
Party workers also point out that it was the same group led by Mr Karat which had not allowed Jyoti Basu to become the prime minister, an action which Mr Basu repeatedly termed as a historic blunder, and more recently, did not back Somnath Chatterjee���s candidature as vice-president of India. ���They just committed historic blunder thrice by expelling Somnathbabu,��� said a CPM cadre.
A section of Bengal comrades also highlighted the fact that the state had attracted maximum attention from the central government and the Prime Minister���s Office during Manmohan Singh���s tenure. Mr Singh had taken personal interest in pursuing each of the heavy weight projects of Bengal, be it the modernisation of Kolkata airport, the chemical hub at Nayachara, or the allocation of coal blocks to the state government. ���With the Left having pulled out from the Centre, it will be difficult for Buddhadeb Bhattacharjee to push through any major deal,��� feels a minister in the Bhattacharjee cabinet.
Bengal leaders are particularly miffed at the way the polit bureau reacted to the entire saga. CPM on Thursday summarily expelled Chatterjee from the party, by invoking a clause (number 13 in article 19) in the CPM constitution, which allows summary procedures. Bengal party general secretary Biman Bose even suggested that the party���s statute was more supreme than the Indian Constitution, for party members. ���Chatterjee may have acted according to the Indian Constitution, but the party���s constitution is supreme in case of party members,��� Mr Bose had said on Thursday.
The summary action not only denies the accused of a chance to defend himself, but also bypasses the norm of going through the six-phase step of disciplinary action that begins with a warning, followed by censure and then removal from the party post. Bengal comrades feel the act of expulsion was hasty and too stringent for whatever Mr Chatterjee had done in his role as a Speaker.
A major section of the state���s party members are equally disappointed with their state leaders like Biman Bose, Buddhadeb Bhattacharjee and Nirupam Sen, who, for what seems like an inexplicable reason, are backing the central leadership, despite Karat���s Kerala lobby constantly getting the upper hand.
A senior CPM secretariat member pointed out: ���The existence of the party virtually depends on West Bengal. We contribute the maximum number of MPs. The party would lose its national identity without the absolute support of Bengal comrades. Most leaders in Delhi, who are Rajya Sabha MPs, have got elected from the state,��� said the irate leader.
Party workers also point out that it was the same group led by Mr Karat which had not allowed Jyoti Basu to become the prime minister, an action which Mr Basu repeatedly termed as a historic blunder, and more recently, did not back Somnath Chatterjee���s candidature as vice-president of India. ���They just committed historic blunder thrice by expelling Somnathbabu,��� said a CPM cadre.
A section of Bengal comrades also highlighted the fact that the state had attracted maximum attention from the central government and the Prime Minister���s Office during Manmohan Singh���s tenure. Mr Singh had taken personal interest in pursuing each of the heavy weight projects of Bengal, be it the modernisation of Kolkata airport, the chemical hub at Nayachara, or the allocation of coal blocks to the state government. ���With the Left having pulled out from the Centre, it will be difficult for Buddhadeb Bhattacharjee to push through any major deal,��� feels a minister in the Bhattacharjee cabinet.
Bengal leaders are particularly miffed at the way the polit bureau reacted to the entire saga. CPM on Thursday summarily expelled Chatterjee from the party, by invoking a clause (number 13 in article 19) in the CPM constitution, which allows summary procedures. Bengal party general secretary Biman Bose even suggested that the party���s statute was more supreme than the Indian Constitution, for party members. ���Chatterjee may have acted according to the Indian Constitution, but the party���s constitution is supreme in case of party members,��� Mr Bose had said on Thursday.
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The summary action not only denies the accused of a chance to defend himself, but also bypasses the norm of going through the six-phase step of disciplinary action that begins with a warning, followed by censure and then removal from the party post. Bengal comrades feel the act of expulsion was hasty and too stringent for whatever Mr Chatterjee had done in his role as a Speaker.
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