Date:15/07/2008 URL: http://www.thehindu.com/2008/07/15/stories/2008071559831000.htm

National

Chakraborty to write to Karat on voting

Special Correspondent

KOLKATA: Subhas Chakraborty, a member of the West Bengal State Secretariat of the CPI(M), on Monday expressed his unhappiness over CPI(M) MPs voting alongside those of the BJP during the trust vote in the Lok Sabha on July 22.

He would write a letter to CPI(M) general secretary Prakash Karat on the issue.

Mr. Chakraborty, however, added that it was his personal opinion and the party’s decision “is a different” matter.

Mr. Chakraborty, who is also the State’s Transport Minister, said: “In the last party congress at Coimbatore, it had been decided that that communal forces will have to be kept at bay. The BJP had been identified as a communal force.”

“We had reiterated a decision at the party congress that we shall fight for secularism and always try to defeat communal forces,” he said. If the CPI(M) decides to vote alongside the BJP, “we will have to give an explanation to the people for a long time to come.” “If that is done [voting alongside the BJP], what next,” Mr. Chakraborty asked.

On the future of Somnath Chatterjee as Speaker of the Lok Sabha, he said: “The post of the Speaker is above any political party. “Somnath Chatterjee was elected Speaker with the unanimous support of 14 national political parties.”

Referring to Mr. Chakraborty’s remarks, Trinamool Congress chief Mamata Banerjee said it signalled “a new turning point not only in Bengal politics but in Left politics.”

“A division is possible because of this [dissension with party leadership],” Ms. Banerjee said.