People's Democracy

WEST BENGAL Left Front shall commemorate the electoral triumph that led to the formation of the sixth Left Front government by holding state-wide rallies on May 13.

Disclosing this before the Kolkata media, state secretary of the Bengal unit of the CPI (M), Anil Biswas said that state-wide programmes would also be held under the aegis of the Bengal Left Front on June 21 when the Left Front would complete 25 years of pro-people existence in the face of a wide variety of adversities. The first Bengal Left Front ministry took the oath of office back on a balmy afternoon of June 21, 1977, and a new chapter in the history of the march of the toiling masses was born.

Anil Biswas also responded to the questions posed by the members of the press on the recent code of conduct that the Supreme Court announced for electoral candidates. The CPI (M) leader said that the five points mentioned in the Supreme Court verdict did have merits. And yet, Anil Biswas added to say, "they must be studied in depth, and especially in the context in which the verdict was handed down."

Elsewhere, the CPI (M) MP from Bengal, Somnath Chatterjee, speaking on the Supreme Court verdict, articulated his worry that the five-point order might be led to become cosmetic trappings in the days to come by the elements of vested interests responsible for the rampant criminalisation of politics. He also expressed his disquiet on the link up established between lack of formal education and criminalisation, and said that a number of those people’s representatives who were accredited with formal higher education degrees very often continued to symbolise the worst elements in politics.

In the face of a searing heat wave sweeping the red clay zones of the western part of Bengal, hundreds of thousands of people turned up to participate in the week-long campaign-movement against the anti-people, especially anti-poor policies of the BJP-run union government. The people also condemned the ghastly communal carnage that the state of Gujarat continues to bleed from.

Jathas and processions were organised each day in places like Bankura sadr, Simlapal, Hidbandh, Taldangra, Ayyodhya, and Indpur where the population of the clusters of nearby townships and villages came out in full strength to make the programme a notable success. Rallies were held all-over the district. The district leadership of the CPI (M) addressed the rallies.