Look, who’s crying foul in Kolkata

Chief Minister Buddhadeb Bhattacharya’s bid to hold ‘free and fair’ polls, shaking off the allegation of ‘rigging’ ...

Chief Minister Buddhadeb Bhattacharya’s bid to hold ‘free and fair’ polls, shaking off the allegation of ‘rigging’ that the old Left always faced, today sparked a confrontation within the CPI (M). This, by the evening, had overshadowed the ‘Buddhadeb versus Mamata’ fight in the municipal polls.

It was CPI(M)’s Sports Minister Subash Chakravarty who had started the controversy yesterday by alleging ‘‘police excesses’’ in Salt Lake at the instance of the administration, in an interview to a Bengali news channel. By the time the polls ended on Sunday evening, former chief minister Jyoti Basu was livid after his private secretary, Joy Krishna Ghosh, was bashed up in front of the police while polling was in progress in ward no. 12 of Salt Lake.

‘‘Never did the police behave in such a brutal manner in the past 28 years of Left rule. Joy was beaten up in front of the police. How could the police be such mute witnesses?’’ fumed Basu, saying he would take up the issue with Alimuddin Street party headquarters immediately.

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Around that time, Chakravarty had already been summoned to Alimuddin Street for shooting off his mouth. Party insiders said Anil Biswas, a politburo member and state secretary of the CPI(M), had taken strong exception to the way Chakravarty had criticised the police, indirectly indicting the state administration and the Chief Minister. ‘‘I will talk to Subash Chakravarty and seek a report from the party in Salt Lake regarding the polls,’’ said Biswas when contacted.

‘‘If the police can bring in forces from all over the state to guard Salt Lake, why can’t we bring in cadres from outside Salt Lake to conduct the polls for the party?’’ Chakravarty had asked in the interview. Proxy voting in Salt Lake has been a big issue in successive elections.

After some trouble in Ward No 12, this afternoon, CPI(M) MP Amitabha Nandy, holding charge for the Salt Lake election on behalf of the party, had initially alleged that the police had indulged in excesses and he would refer it to the Lok Sabha Speaker. Nandy complained of being roughed up by the police too. But at night, the allegation of assault was directed at the Trinamool Congress and not the police. However, a profusely bleeding Joy Krishna Ghosh was under treatment. He had suffered injuries in his eyes, it was said.

Party insiders say the CM was particularly sensitive about the Salt Lake incident and had reportedly said that a clean image was far more important than winning a municipal board. A clean image will pay off the party in the 2006 assembly polls, he is believed to have said.

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With the CPI(M) state secretariat meeting to be held this week, the controversy is likely to snowball. As of now, Chakravarty has Jyoti Basu siding with him after the Joy Krishna episode. But then Buddhadeb Bhattacharya has the influential and powerful Anil Biswas on his side in his image makeover bid that now clearly stretches from industry to ideology, from state administration to poll strategy.