Mamata counting on CPI(M) dissidents

By Our Special Correspondent

KOLKATA, FEB. 6. The Railway Minister and Trinamool Congress chief, Ms. Mamata Banerjee, is watching the convulsions in West Bengal's ruling CPI(M) centring round the high profile Transport Minister, Mr. Subhash Chakraborty, and his supporters.

Mr. Chakraborty has for the past few months been hinting in public as well as in private that he will quit the CPI(M) and float his own group with like-minded colleagues who have turned dissidents as the leadership is ignoring his claims to positions of substance in the organisation.

After experiencing an ``indifferent leadership,'' Mr. Chakraborty, one of the CPI(M)'s crowd-pullers and organisers, got a partial response last month when he was reinducted into the North 24-Parganas district secretariat from where he was ousted in 1998 in the course of an organisational poll dominated by his detractors.

It was his mentor, Mr. Jyoti Basu, who ensured Mr. Chakraborty's return to the district secretariat over the objection of the anti-lobby. Mr. Basu did so to prevent a split in the party before the election. Mr. Chakraborty, however, gives the impression of still being unhappy and of considering breaking away with fellow dissidents as is evident from his public criticism of the party's policies on various issues. But his making noises does not automatically mean that he will throw in his lot with the dissidents.

Secret meetings

Mr. Chakraborty, according to reliable reports, held secret meetings with Ms. Banerjee and her aides in Delhi and Calcutta to work out a possible poll-time understanding. He explained to her that an understanding would be possible only when she gave up her ally, BJP. As and when that happened, they could always join forces with the Congress and form a broad anti- Left platform.

Ms. Banerjee, realising that it would be next to impossible for her to oust the CPI(M)-led front from office on her own or even with the BJP, agreed with Mr. Chakraborty but insisted that before she dumped the BJP, she should have a firm commitment from him on quitting the CPI(M).

Mr. Chakraborty, however, did not want to do anything in a rush. He tried to test the waters before risking his political future. He also waited to see the response Mr. Saifuddin Chowdhury evoked from the Left dissidents. Mr. Chowdhury after his expulsion from the CPI(M) floated a platform of his own. He made hard-hitting comments about the party's policies and programmes, its approach to issues as well as the leadership's inability to keep pace with the changing times.The party bosses in Alimuddin Street here decided to ignore him and went about with their business as usual.

Mr. Chakraborty had indicated to the media that he might announce his departure from the CPI(M) at the now-deferred meeting he had lined up for February 19 for highlighting the plight of the workers of the unorganised sector independent of the CITU, of which he is vice-president.

Mr. Chakraborty deliberately chose February 19 because the CPI(M) had originally planned to release its list of candidates for the Assembly election on February 15. He calculated that he would succeed in taking along a large number of partymen to a new outfit if the official list of candidates left many unhappy.

Now that the CPI(M) had deferred the release of the list till the third week of this month, Mr. Chakraborty has no option but to postpone his pet event as well. The delay forced on him by the party, Mr. Chakraborty realises, makes him a suspect in the eyes of other rebels who, having burnt their bridges on his assurance of grand days, are waiting for him to come out and launch the platform.

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