Throughout Saturday and Sunday, there were reports of former Chief Minister Buddhadeb Bhattacharjee announcing his intention to resign both from the Politburo and the Central Committee of the party, the highest tiers of leadership. State Party Secretary and Front Chairman Biman Bose made a ritual denial to media persons. He continued his increasingly tedious trade against the media, saying that it had to manufacture stories to keep going.

On the night of May 12, hours before the poll outcome in Bengal was announced, revealing a total rout for his party and the Front it led after 34 hours, Bose had told the media that the Left could well win close to 200 seats out of 294. He also lambasted the media for running its pre-poll surveys, which he described mostly as “paid news”.

The final tally was 62. Stalinist to the last, Bose could not muster the minimal grace to apologise to newsmen the next day even after suffering such a humiliating defeat. His joint statement with Bhattacharjee noted that the defeat was “unexpected” and expressed thanks for the people who had voted the left. “This kind of arrogance shows that the Bengal CPI(M) has not learnt anything from its rout, be it in the Lok Sabha or in the state assembly,” observed a senior scribe.

Regardless of Bose’s tirade, speculation continued about Bhattacharjee, who refused to attend the party’s scheduled politburo meeting in Delhi on Monday. Sources close to Bhattacharjee said that the former Chief Minister had taken sharp exception to what he considered personal attacks against him on the electronic and other media by two of his former Ministerial colleagues, Gautam Deb and Abdur Rezzak Mollah. Both suggested that top leaders had to accept responsibility for the massive defeat and openly hinted that they referred to Bhattacharjee and Nirupam Sen, also Politburo member and ex Minister.

Meanwhile, it was learnt that even Bose himself had offered to resign, a la Bhattacharjee. While Bengal CPI(M) leaders kept silent on the issue, other state party members came to learn of this from , of all people, the CPI General Secretary Mr. A.B. Bardhan, who revealed this during an interview with a top TV channel. Bardhan also attacked Bose for his reckless remarks about achieving a” big majority” in Bengal when actually a rout had occurred. It indicated how leaders could no longer feel the pulse of the people they were supposed to be leading, he said. In contrast, in Kerala where the CPI(M) had fared better in defeat, former Chief Minister Mr,. Achuthanandan had not put his foot in his mouth in the manner of Bose and told newsmen to wait for the outcome of the Kerala elections.

Mr, Bardhan also indicated his intention to resign from his post and expected his decision to take effect by the time of the next party Congress of the CPI. Regarding speculation relating to the future of CPI(M) General secretary Mr, Prakash Karat, Mr, Bardhan was certain that he too must have offered to step down.

The interview only helped to spread the gloom and confusion further in the Bengal left camp.

Among the allies of the CPI(M), too, the knives were out. Leaders of the RSP and Forward Bloc were critical of the “cheap theatrics” of Gautam Deb during campaigning, threatening to expose the corruption within the Trinamool Congress and the “US-backed conspiracy” against the CPI(M), without producing an iota of evidence or anything substantial. This had hurt the Left cause and image immensely and brought ridicule upon the entire left, they said at the last meeting of the Left front. Adopting a milder line, CPI leaders called for a thorough probe into the poll debacle.

CPI(M) leaders, who as during the 2009 Lok Sabha polls had received encouraging reports and inputs from the district units prior to the Assembly polls, were again caught without an answer . Some district leaders pointed out that they had campaigned hard, organised well attended rallies and marches and people had responded well to their efforts, it seemed, Yet, as against 47.8% votes polled by the Cong(I)/Trinamool alliance the front had won only 39%of the votes, a very large gap in a polarised state.

Observers pointed out that apparently people had lost their faith totally in the exalted rhetoric and tall claims of the Left, but instead were far more interested in seeing some economic development and better performance in governance. But years of stagnation and slogan-mongering had left the state bereft of significant investment, job opportunities poor infrastructure and a virtual breakdown in major areas of governance. There was hardly any improvement in education, law and order, finance, health, industry or agriculture year after year, even as other states were forging ahead all the time. The political leadership, the left mass organisations and above all its administration, had all failed to perform dismally. (IPA Service)