Tearing into chief minister Buddhadeb Bhattacharjee for sharing stage with “censured” CPI(M) leader Anil Basu at an election rally at Arambagh in Hooghly district, Trinamul Congress chief Mamata Banerjee on Saturday said that their bonhomie exposed the duplicity of the Marxists. “The CPI(M) has a real face and also a mask. One is white and the other black. One will call someone a thief and the other will reprimand him,” she alleged. She was addressing an election rally at Pandua in Highly
district. Without naming them, she flayed the chief minister for putting his hand on Mr Bass’s shoulders. “He held his hands so that the latter could bail out the party in Arambagh,” she said.
Mr Basu had made some highly-offensive statement against Ms Banerjee and his vitriolic diatribe had sparked a political storm forcing the Election Commission to send a notice to the former CPI(M) MP and strongman of Hooghly. Expressing his outrage, chief minister had asked the party to censure Mr Basu. He was barred from addressing any public meeting. However, within days of describing Mr Basu’s comments as an “unpardonable crime” and taking action against him, the CM not only shared stage with him on Friday but after the meeting, he also held his hand.