Left should win over people: Jyoti Basu

KOLKATA, 31st AUGUST: While there is need for bringing back into the Left’s fold who went against it in the April-May Lok Sabha elections, it is also imperative that the Left parties correct their mistakes, veteran Marxist leader Jyoti Basu, said here on Monday.

“Many had gone against us in the last [Lok Sabha] elections. We will have to bring them back to us again … . Side-by-side, we will have to correct our own mistakes,” Mr. Basu said in a statement that was read out at a massive rally organised by the Left Front to commemorate the 50th anniversary of the “Food Movement” in which 80 persons were killed in a baton charge on demonstrators demanding food.

“The struggling masses are the Left’s hope in difficult times. I say this from the experience of the great ‘Food Movement’,” Mr. Basu said, criticising the attempts being made by the Trinamool Congress in league with the Maoists and, in certain places the Congress, to stall development and create anarchy in the State.

Leaders and workers of the Left parties were being murdered, party offices were being attacked and set ablaze. “We will have to resist such attacks by mobilising the masses. For this we will have to keep reaching out to the people, work to further the interests of the poor and common man and win over their affection,” Mr Basu said.

expressed the belief that the people of the State “will never accept an opportunistic alliance or a party without a policy and principle.” “They will never bow their heads to the politics of anarchy and terror,” Mr. Basu said.

The poor are coming forward to renew their struggle against the Centre's policies, which were forcing farmers to commit suicide. The increase in prices of essential commodities, arise in black marketing, and a deepening food crisis had hit them badly, he pointed out. TMC, Cong spreading terror in WB: Jyoti Basu Former West Bengal Chief Minister and communist patriarch Jyoti Basu said opposition parties Trinamool Congress (TMC) and its ally Congress, along with Maoists are trying to spread terror in the state.

In his written speech read out by Communist Party of India (Marxist) (CPI-M) state secretary Biman Bose, Basu said: “Trimaool, Congress and Maoists are trying to stop development in West Bengal through anarchy and terror. We have to counter their efforts by mobilizing common people…they know who are their friends and who their foe.”

Basu asked his partymen to win back the support of people through ‘understanding their needs’.“In the last Lok Sabha election many voted against us. We have to correct our mistakes. We have to bring them back to our fold. We have also to regain their confidence. The people are our hope in difficult times.

“We should not lose confidence on the people,” the veteran politician said.Basu also accused Trinamool, Congress and Maoists for killing CPI-M activists and setting their houses on fire in the districts.