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Defeat unexpected: Left Front

Special Correspondent

Left parties to take corrective steps after analysing reasons

The issue of a stable government may have worked in getting votes
“State’s development agenda will not be affected by the results”

KOLKATA: Left Front chairman Biman Bose on Saturday said the Left parties, alongwith its non-Congress, non-BJP allies, were committed to continuing their struggle in Parliament to protect the rights of the working people, the sovereignty of the nation and to promote secularism.

Addressing a press meet, Mr. Bose said the Congress and its allies’ achieved great success in their efforts to form a government at the Centre. “The Left Front has suffered an unexpected defeat,” he said adding that the Left parties would make all-out efforts to take corrective steps after analysing the reasons behind the defeat of the CPI(M) and its allies in most of the seats in West Bengal.

He said that prima facie it seemed that a wave was created. “It did not work in West Bengal in 1971 but this time it worked. The issue of a stable government might have worked in getting votes,” Mr. Bose said.

Asked whether the State government would scrap its industrial policy following the poll outcome, he said, “I have not said that we will scrap any policy. We first need to analyse the results.”

The Left Front chief did not feel that the State’s development agenda would be impacted in any way by the results. It said the party would go to the people “and we are confident that we will overcome any misunderstandings created in the minds of people.”

Mr. Bose said that altogether 28 persons, including 25 party workers and leaders, lost their lives during the clashes in this round of Lok Sabha elections and the party urged the administration to be vigilant against ‘hooliganism’ in the aftermath of the elections.

He appealed to party workers not to be provoked to step into any trap laid by disruptive forces and to stay in close touch with the people and continue their organisational work.

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