Buddhadeb asks party workers to shun arrogance

KOLKATA - Blaming a section of party workers for the debacle of the Communist Party of India-Marxist (CPI-M) in recent elections, West Bengal Chief Minister Buddhadeb Bhattacharjee Sunday asked the cadres to shun arrogance as this would further alienate the common people from the party.

“It’s true that in the last Lok Sabha elections people have voted against us. A section of party workers and leaders have tried to act as a boss over the common people. We have taken action against them. Don’t try to act like a boss over the common man,” said Bhattacharjee while addressing a public rally in North 24 Paraganas district of West Bengal.

If you want to act as a boss over the common man then you have to go out of the party. If common people say something then you have to give a patient hearing to it, he said.

The Congress-Trinamool Congress alliance defeated the ruling Left Front led by CPI-M in the last Lok Sabha elections, winning more than two-thirds of the state’s Lok Sabha seats.

Bhattacharjee also took a dig at Congress-led United Progressive Alliance (UPA) for dividing the country into two - one for the poor and one for the rich.

You will find the poorest of poor in India. This country has the largest number of illiterates and highest number of poor people and you will also find the richest man of the world in India. The Congress has divided the country into two halves - one for rich Indians and one for poor Indians, he said.

Prices of essentials have gone up to such a large extent in the last two years. But the Congress led UPA is least bothered in controlling the price rise, said Bhattacharjee.