CPM clears Bloc peace plan

KOLKATA: It's final. Peace talks on Nandigram will begin from the state level and not at the district level. The first meeting will be held somewhere in the city. And, as expected, Big Brother CPM on Monday gave the go-ahead to Forward Bloc state secretary Ashok Ghosh's proposal at the emergency Left Front meeting on Monday. Accordingly, he has already had talks with Trinamul Congress chairperson Mamata Banerjee on Monday.
Ghosh though will not get a free hand to carve out the future course of the peace initiative.Instead, the Bloc veteran has to take all future decisions in consultation with Left Front chairman Biman Bose. Alimuddin Street took this small, but significant move, just to rein in Front partners Forward Bloc, RSP and CPI that have emerged as a pressure group within the Front.
Making a tacit reference to this trend,Bose also chose to stoke up memories of the late Sixties when CPI was part of a Congress-led Front.
CPI state secretary Manju Majumdar shot back. "Why are you digging up past issues? Do you mean to say that the CPI is trying to break the Left Front? Tell us where we have flouted the Left Front decision. My senior Nandagopal Bhattacharya has apprised the chief minister of all developments. He also told the CM that the three parties were meeting," he said in the presence of Buddhadeb Bhattacharjee.
Though Bose did not proceed further, West Bengal Socialist Party leader and minister Kiranmoy Nanda and charged the three Left parties for trying to impose the decision of the mini Front on all partners. "Why did the three Left parties meet separately? How could they decide on the state-level all-party meeting when the trouble in Nandigram is spread over only four blocks?" he said.
Immediately, RSP leader and minister Biswanath Chowdhury retorted: "Each of us has the right to hold talks. And I tell you, we will hold talks in future, too. Who are you to dictate terms?"
Narrating the developments in detail, Ashok Ghosh said the Opposition, namely Trinamul, Congress and SUCI, all wanted the peace talks to begin from the state level.