Buddha won't resign: Basu

KOLKATA: For the embattled West Bengal CM Buddhadeb Bhattacharjee over Nandigram, this is come as the strongest-ever backing from party veteran Jyoti Basu. “Buddhadeb Bhattacharjee has no intention of resigning,” CPM politburo member Jyoti Basu said on Friday. He was speaking just a day ahead of a crucial CPM state committee meeting that is expected to see fireworks on the Nandigram issue.

Speaking to reporters on Friday after a meeting of the party’s secretariat on Alimuddin Street, Mr Basu stated: “The issue of Nandigram will definitely come up for discussion on Saturday. At the same time, however great may be the provocation, the question of Bhattacharjee’s resignation is absolutely absurd.”

But at a time when the CPM is bracing for a protracted legal battle on the Nandigram tangle, the state secretariat meeting on Friday discussed the possible fallout of the proceedings at the Calcutta High Court next Monday when the sealed CBI report is slated to be officially unveiled.

Mr Basu said: “After watching Monday’s developments, the party may consider appealing in the Supreme Court.” But Mr Basu remained non-committal when asked to comment on the role of Laxman Seth, the CPM strongman and MP from East Midnapore, in the Nandigram fiasco. He also declined to indicate whether Mr Seth was likely to be rebuked at Saturday’s CPM meeting.

“It’s for the party to decide,” was his cryptic response. However, party slatwarts, it is learnt, have reacted strongly and Mr Seth could very well come under fire from a section of comrades at the meeting, especially over the role of the alleged `Lakshman Bahini’ (Lakshman’s Soldiers) in the Nandigram carnage.

It is well known in Left Front circles that there’s deep resentment and distrust over Laxman Seth’s role on a range of issues within the CPM. Right from the issuing of the surprise notification by the Haldia Development Authority (HDA) to acquiring land for a Salim Group SEZ in Nandigram to possible involvement of CPM hit squads in ther March 14 carnage.

Party insiders suggest Mr Seth had revisited the famed Keshpur strategy, which meant waging an “armed self defence” battle from the Khejuri-end of Nandigram. This strategy, which had worked brilliantly in Garbeta, Keshpur and Panshkura, proved an unmitigated disaster in Nandigram.

The chief minister, according to highly placed sources, had banked a lot on Mr Seth before sending police to Nandigram. “Buddhadeb babu had a talk with him after intelligence reports indicated that police might face stiff resistance from “Bhumi Uchhed Protirodh Committee. Laxman Seth had apparently assured the chief minister there would be no major problem,” said a top CPM source.

Whereas the chief minister has already taken responsibility for the March 14 killings, Mr Seth has not made any statement on the incident so far. Accordingly, it is widely expected that Laxman Seth may come under some fire from party hardliners on Saturday. But it remains to be seen whether the CPM high command will give him an actual dressing down or a mere slap on the wrist.

Some sections, however, feel, that instead of censuring Mr Seth publicly, party secretary Biman Bose may have a word with him privately. Whatever be the case, that Mr Seth won’t be let off the hook easily was quite evident after Friday’s meeting of the CPM state secretariat.

Meanwhile, the Buddhadeb Bhattacharhjee government continued to draw flak from its Left Front allies over the Nandigram carnage. In a hard-hitting article in CPI organ New Age, party general secretary A B Bardhan noted: “The organised and brutal police assault on villagers was unprecedented, shocking and traumatic.”

He has gone on to accuse the CPM state leadership of refusing to heed frequent warnings from alliance partners about tension building up in Nandigram. “But unfortunately, all such pleadings by other allies and partners of the Left Front went unheeded by the biggest partner CPM,” Mr Bardhan said.