Time for course correction in West Bengal, says CPI

Holding the "wrong" industrialisation and other policies of the Buddhadeb Bhattacharjee government responsible for the defeat of Left Front in the recent West Bengal civic polls, CPI general secretary AB Bardhan today said they need to be reconsidered.

"What is very clear is that some of the policies which the (Bengal) government pursued did not find favour with the people. Industrialisation has to take place. But in the name of industrialisation, you cannot take away fertile  agriculture land," he said at a meet-the-press organised here by the Andhra Pradesh Union of Working Journalists (APUWJ).

"In the name of industrialisation, we cannot bring industries, which I think, are not going to cater immediately to the needs of people. Chemical hub or a Nano car factory, these cannot be priorities," he said.

Minorities, who are in substantial numbers in West Bengal, have also moved away from the Left, which is another important reason for failure of the ruling coalition at the hustings, Bardhan, whose party is part of the CPM-led government in the
state, said.

"These policies have to be reconsidered. Some steps were taken. They were not enough. 33 years in power also has a damaging effect on the psyche of those who are in power. Therefore, it has a debilitating effect. We will continue to fight. We will continue to rebuild the base that has eroded," he added.