Six CPM men suspended for joining hands with BJP in East Midnapore

KOLKATA:  A month after the party leadership issued a directive to steer clear of any official or unofficial pact with the BJP, six CPM members were expelled from the party for joining hands with the saffron camp in a cooperative society election in East Midnapore. Two other party members were served with show-cause notice asking them why they didn’t inform the party leadership despite knowing the pact with the BJP.

In the directive, CPM state committee secretary and politburo member Mohammad Selim had made it clear that no alliance with the BJP in the next year’s panchayat elections would be tolerated, but the action was taken against the six member’s for their role in a cooperative society election because the leadership felt it might encourage others to ignore the party’s strategy and share seats in the rural polls.  The decision of expelling the party members was taken in a meeting, chaired by the party’s central committee member Sujan Chakrabarty, held on Tuesday at the CPM’s district party office.  

Citing an example of defying the party’s state leadership’s instruction, a CPM leader said Dinesh Pradhan, a former head of a local gram panchayat, was assigned as convenor for the cooperative society’s election scheduled to be held on December 4.“But he decided to join hands and share seats with the BJP and held a procession with the saffron camp’s leader Bamdeb Guchait.

Our party had to face an embarrassing situation after the open alliance with the BJP. The party directed all 24 candidates to withdraw their nominations but none followed it which resulted in expulsion of the six members. The BJP fielded candidates in the remaining 21 seats,” said a CPM leader.