People's Democracy

WEST BENGAL

B Prasant

THE one-day meeting of the state committee of the Bengal unit of the CPI(M) on December 20 had a single item as its agenda: strategy-and-tactics for the next assembly polls. Biman Basu, member, Polit Bureau presided over the session.

Later, briefing the media at the Muzaffar Ahmad Bhavan, Anil Biswas said that the state committee had no doubt that the Bengal Left Front would romp home in the upcoming elections to the state assembly with enhanced majority.

Present in the meeting were two other Polit Bureau members, Jyoti Basu and Buddhadeb Bhattacharjee.

State secretary Anil Biswas introduced the agenda to the state committee meeting. He also presented the resolutions of the recent meeting of the central committee of the CPI(M).

PRELIMINARY PREPARATIONS

The principal slogan for the run up to the assembly polls, scheduled to be held within the space of a few months, would be establishment of a Left Front government in order to accelerate the developmental process going on in Bengal. The state committee was of the firm view that the political situation heavily favoured the Left Front  s win.

There is no doubt that the opposition, desperate to make a bid for office, and the forces antithetical to the Left Front, would certainly try to put in place anti-people designs and to create confusion, believes the state committee.

Yet, the Bengal CPI(M) leadership is firmly of the view that mass contact, campaign, and organisational strength will ensure that the possibility of the massive electoral triumph of the Left Front is converted assuredly into a certainty.

The state committee identified the principal features of the election campaign and these were:

• The alternative position of the Left vis-à-vis the policies of the union government should be highlighted in view of the fall-out of the policy of economic liberali-sation on the masses.

• The issue of an independent foreign policy and the question of the union government  s dependence on imperialism should be focussed upon.

• The dangers inherent in the menace of communalism, fundamentalism, and separatism in Bengal should be highlighted and the stance of the CPI(M) vis-à-vis the separatist elements of north Bengal should be fully explained and a campaign built up.

• The developmental programme of the Bengal Left Front government, its enterprise, and success in the sectors of agriculture, industry, and employment generation would be focussed upon.

• The work done by the LF and the LF government in the extension of democracy in Bengal would be highlighted.

• The anti-people character of the opposition in Bengal would be exposed citing their attempt to block the process of the development and their endeavour to prop up separatist elements.

The campaign of the Left Front would be positive and the Left Front would ask for the electoral support of the people based on its political stance and programme.

The basis of the election organisation would be booth-based. The booth committee would include besides Party members, supporters, and sympathisers of the CPI(M) representing various strata of the society. The work has commenced in this direction.

A crucial primary aim of the election campaign would be to swing more-and-more supporters of the opposition in the LF bloc, and to inspire them to attend the rally at the Brigade Parade Grounds come January 8, 2006.

The state committee has also finalised the slogans for the assembly polls:

1. To step the struggle against imperialism

2. To resist fundamentalism and separatism

3. To safeguard the law-and-order situation in the state

4. To ensure agricultural development and to secure the interests of the poor

5. To accelerate the development and spread of industries

6. To target generation of employment and income, and

7. To maintain the flow of development and struggle in the state

8. Elect and set up the Left Front government

 

The state committee adopted and set in motion the resolutions of the central committee on Party cadres including whole timers.

As far as Party accounting of income and expenditure was concerned, the state committee has decided that the district units would audit their accounts as well as those of the lower committees each year and place them with the state committee by July 31.

The state committee would place with the central committee all audited accounts of all elected committees by August 31 every year.

The state committee also adopted and set in place the rules regarding appeal to the control commission, central, or state, and on check ups and disciplinary actions.

A massively attended rally would be organised at the Brigade Parade Grounds on January 8. The rally must be made a success through a wide campaign amongst the people.

District-level preparations are underway to make the rally one of the biggest meetings of recent times.