West Bengal chief minister Buddhadeb Bhattacharjee on Sunday kick-started the campaign for arguably the toughest Assembly election the Left Front is going to face in over three decades with the back-to-basics mantra. Addressing a mammoth rally at the sprawling Brigade Parade Ground, Mr Bhattacharjee and all Left Front leaders passionately wooed the poor and the middle-class: their core constituency. Their message was clear: red flag alone was the messiah of the common people while Congress and the Trinamul Congress were anti-poor. “We distributed land among the landless farmers, established the panchayati system, gave respectability to teachers and ensured provident fund benefits for the labourers,” Mr Bhattacharjee said amidst thunderous applause.
The Left leader on Sunday targeted the Congress as much as they did the Trinamul Congress. Mr Bhattacharjee, Mr Biman Bose and other speakers blamed the UPA government’s anti-people policies for the misery of the common people. “Congress, which is mired in corruption and scams has done nothing to control skyrocketing prices. The government is mired in corruption,” Mr Bhattacharjee said, adding that the Congress was a party of the rich and therefore, it was bent on removing the Left Front from power.
The Left Front undoubtedly mounted the most impressive show of strength at the sprawling Brigade Ground. Ridiculing the Trinamul Congress’ slogan for change, he asked, “What change are they talking about? Do they want to reverse the good work we have done?” Tearing into what he described as unholy nexus of the Opposition and some foreign powers, he said, “Who wants change? You should be aware that some foreign forces are behind this move and are working with the Congress, Trinamul Congress and Maoists. The BJP and Jharkhand Party are also behind it.”
Mr Bhattacharjee said that these foreign powers were afraid of the red flag and they were hell bent on bringing the Left Front rule in the state to an end. “We are warning these foreign forces not to meddle in our affairs,” he said.