The Forward Bloc on Tuesday criticised CPI(M), the dominant Left Front partner, for unilaterally attempted to cobble up a Third Front at the national level and said it failed miserably leading to the debacle in the Lok Sabha elections.
“The four Left parties had decided to hold a joint campaign at a meeting at Mavlankar Hall in Delhi, but at Talkatora Stadium we saw a different approach with the attempt to form a front holding the hands of Nitish Kumar and Mulayam Singh,” All India Forward Bloc General Secretary Debabrata Biswas said referring to the CPI(M)’s attempt at an alliance of 11 parties to form a non-communal, non-Congress front.
Mr. Biswas, however, did not name CPI(M), but said “There was no common election strategy and programme for the Left parties at national level.
“All the parties contested the election separately and there was no coordination,” he said while referring to the RSP and CPI fighting the polls in alliance with the Congress in Kerala and Andhra Pradesh respectively.
Regarding West Bengal, where the once-invincible Left Front managed to win only two seats, Mr. Biswas said “Lack of proper coordination, mutual respect between the allied parties, lack of proper campaign are the reasons for the debacle of the Left Front in the state.
“The youngsters did not care about the campaign of the Left parties and the minorities by and large voted against them,” the veteran leader said.
The Front had won 15 seats in 2009 with the CPI(M) getting nine seats and Forward Bloc two.
But this time the CPI(M) managed to get two seats, while the other constituents including Forward Bloc could not open their accounts.
Asked whether the party was considering any change in leadership to boost cadres, Mr. Biswas said “It is a process. Forward Bloc will take a decision at the right time.”
The >CPI(M) leadership is already facing a clamour for change of guard within and outside following its disastrous show at the hustings.
