Kolkata: A section of the CPI-M in West Bengal is not happy backing combined Opposition vice-presidential candidate Gopalkrishna Gandhi, since he had criticised the role of the party during the height of Singur and Nandigram stir when he was the governor.
A large section of state committee members and grassroot leaders expressed anger at the party forum while some took to the social media to express displeasure. Disgruntled leaders referred to Mr Gandhi’s opposition to “forcible” land acquisition in Singur in Hooghly for setting up a Tata-Motors-small-car factory and Nandigram anti-land acquisition movement.
They even went to the extent of describing him as “partisan to Trinamul Congress”. “We really have no idea what our party leadership is up to. First they decided to forge an alliance with the Congress and now they decide to support Gandhi,” a CPI-M state committee leader said on the condition of anonymity.
“How can the party forget the partisan role played by Gandhi between 2006 and 2009? ...The party is digging its own grave,” the leader felt.
A senior CPI-M leader who had opposed alliance with the Congress in the last Assembly polls, said, “Last year, our party leadership told us to forget about the neo-liberal policies and atrocities committed during Emergency by the Congress and instead align with it to stop the TMC and the BJP.”
