The alternative to the Left Front government in West Bengal will only be complete anarchy, Chief Minister Buddhadeb Bhattacharjee said here on Monday on the occasion of completion of 33 years of the Front in power.
“In the year ahead, we shall have to proceed on a path of struggle. We must unite and participate in this struggle and overcome the obstacles before us,” he said at a function organised by the Left Front.
The Front faces a crucial election in 2011. It suffered a string of setbacks since the panchayat elections in 2008 and electoral gains were made by the Trinamool Congress, mainly on the promise of change. Trinamool chief Mamata Banerjee has projected her party as “the only alternative” to the Left in the State.
“What is this change being demanded by the Opposition parties?” Mr. Bhattacharjee said, asserting that “the kind of change being sought will result in anarchy.”
Achievements
Listing the Left Front's achievements over the past 33 years in land reforms, attracting investment for industry, in education and empowerment through local governance, he asked a packed audience at the Netaji Indoor stadium: “Will all this be changed? Will West Bengal be witness to only Singurs where investment will be turned away?”
The Left Front has a definitive policy on maters related to land distribution, panchayats, industry, education and health, but the Opposition “has no alternative policy on offer.”
Not that the Left Front was not aware of its failings. It was not complacent. Rather, it was capable of soul searching when it committed mistakes in the course of implementing its agenda, he said.
“On the issue of land acquisition, we have become very alert. If there is any doubt or fear related to land acquisition, we have become alert to it,” he said.
The Left Front stands for the future of the workers, farmers, youth and women of the State, he said and appealed to the people to unite in the fight against the challenges that West Bengal faced.
Senior leaders of all constituents of the Left Front who were present on the occasion reiterated the need for unity among the Left parties and cautioned about the threat from the Opposition.
Several agencies were channelling money into West Bengal to ensure the defeat of Communist forces here and create a divide among the poor, cautioned Biman Bose, chairman of the State's Left Front Committee.
