Under attack,Buddha asks for free hand

Please empower me to work freely. With good work the Government can once again reach the people...

Please empower me to work freely. With good work the Government can once again reach the people, Chief Minister Buddhadeb Bhattacharjee told the Left Front constituents when they met at Alimuddin Street on Thursday afternoon.

The Left Fronts first post-poll meeting,which saw the Chief Minister come under attack from the constituents,was scheduled to analyse the debacle in the Lok Sabha polls. However,according to a senior party comrade,Left Front chairman Biman Bose tried to bypass the agenda. Today we will not discuss the reasons for the poll setback,but will concentrate our discussion on how to bring back the people who have deserted us, Bose reportedly said.

RSPs Kshiti Goswami and CPIs Nandagopal Bhattacharya indirectly blamed the CM for the poll setback.

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While Bhattacharya said the arrogance and corruption of the ruling party cadres had largely been responsible for this collapse,Goswami said the land acquisition issue was the primary factor for the debacle. Corrective steps will be difficult to take if we fail to identify land as the root cause for the setback, Goswami said.

Goswami also embarrassed the CM,saying: I have seen in the media that the Chief Minister was ready to take the onus of defeat on his shoulder. He wants to quit. Is that right? If it is so,the issue should be publicly addressed.

After the meeting,Bose said the LF constituents,who discussed the forthcoming elections to 17 municipal bodies and Siliguri mahakuma parishad on June 28,had been asked to place their reports separately.

Alleging that the Trinamool Congress was instigating violence across the state,he said,We have accepted the results.

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On the TMC demand for imposition of Article 356 before holding the Assembly elections,Bose said the situation in the state did not warrant such a move.