Communist Party of India (CPI) general secretary A. B. Bardhan has said that the Left Front was facing a tough fight in West Bengal while it holds an edge over the United Democratic Front (UDF) in Kerala.
Addressing a meet-the-press programme held at Ernakulam Press Club here on Friday, Mr. Bardhan said that the Left had brought a turnaround in the situation in West Bengal in the past few months.
Stating that there was a conspiracy to dethrone the Left front in West Bengal, Mr. Bardhan said that a section of people, who had earlier opposed the Left, have now realised that the opposition would not be able to bring any change in the State.
Pointing out that the Congress-led district panchayats were the worst ruled local bodies in West Bengal, Mr. Bardhan said that the Left had implemented radical changes in land reforms and the panchayati raj system in the State.
Explaining that the Left Democratic Front (LDF) government in Kerala had been successful in ensuring food security to vulnerable sections of the society, Mr. Bardhan said that the decision to provide rice at Rs. 2 a kilo for those belonging to the Below Poverty Line (BPL) and Above Poverty Line (APL) families was a remarkable feat.
Describing that he was ‘amazed by the Supreme Court’s decision to stay the Kerala High Court’s order allowing the State government to provide rice at Rs. 2 a kilo to all ration card holders, Mr. Bardhan said that the apex court had earlier given a verdict that the government should distribute the food grains to the poor instead of allowing them to rot in godowns.
He said that the Supreme Court, which holds such views, could have supported the government’s decision to provide Rs. 2 a kilo rice, which was taken before the enforcement of the election code of conduct.
Recalling that the greed for money shown by the Congress seems to be growing in proportion to the losses it suffer, Mr. Bardhan said that the Shunglu committee report on the corruption in the conduct of the Commonwealth Games shows how money was plundered from the government revenue for the event. He said that the role of money power displayed by the Congress in the election campaign in Kerala was ‘unfortunate’.
Asked whether he was also surprised by the Supreme Court verdict rejecting Communist Party of India (Marxist) Kerala Secretary Pinarayi Vijayan’s writ petition challenging the Kerala Governor's order granting a Central Bureau of Investigation probe into the SNC-Lavalin Case, Mr. Bardhan said that the law will take its own course in this case.
