'Mamata will be a disaster, tragedy as CM'

Edited by Naved Khan Sunday, June 6, 2010 5:43 PM

The Left Front has “been too long in power” in West Bengal and this has made it “swollen-headed, arrogant, alienated” from the people, says Communist Party of India chief A B Bardhan. The veteran Marxist leader admitted the Left Front’s defeat in the West Bengal municipal elections was a “debacle” and proved that it had to be “sensitive to the people”. Bardhan told Karan Thapar on Devil's Advocate he gives Trinamool Congress leader Mamata Banerjee credit for defeating the Left Front but believes she would a disaster as Chief Minister of West Bengal. A B Bardhan: It has been a very big defeat for the Left, no doubt about it. The people have given their verdict and we have to accept it. But you are talking of the Trinamool and the Congress coming together...the fact is you see, down below they have been together. Those who wanted to defeat the Left, the voters who were anti-Left, they were together you see..down the line, even otherwise. In some places they voted for the Congress and in some places they voted for Trinamool.
Karan Thapar: You have been honest enough to say that this is a very big defeat for the Left. The truth is people were also expecting that this would not be a good result. But has this ended up being worse than your expectations?
A B Bardhan: I expected a bit better. It has been only slightly better, if you see, than the Lok Sabha poll. We have partly improved you see, compared to the Lok Sabha polls last time.
Karan Thapar: You are saying that on the basis of number of votes you have won?
A B Bardhan: Yes, 4 per cent more votes we have got.
Karan Thapar: Except the problem is that in the Lok Sabha elections of 2009, the Congress and the Trinamool were combined and so the anti-Left vote was united. This time they fought against each other, so the anti-Left vote was divided. Are you sure that the improvement in the number of votes isn't just statistical rather than meaningful?
A B Bardhan: No, that's why I said before, the anti-Left vote down below has been united this time also. Generally it happens like this. So those who want to defeat you, somewhere they vote for the Congress all unitedly, somewhere they vote for Trinamool unitedly.
Karan Thapar: But you were hoping for a better result?
A B Bardhan: A better one.
Karan Thapar: One of your principle strongholds that went against you was the North 24 Parganas. It has 21 civic bodies, you had 19. You ended up with just 4?
A B Bardhan: That has been the biggest disappointment as far as I know. I expected a much better result you see in 24 Parganas. Read more....

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