This Article is From Nov 12, 2009

Left slams Chidambaram, rules out early polls

Kolkata: Left leader Nirupam Sen has slammed Home Minister P Chidambaram for saying that early polls in West Bengal is Left's call.

"There is no question of early polls in West Bengal," said Sen.

In a veiled attack on Trinamool Congress, Sen alleged that Chidambaram made the remarks under political from his ally.

The West Bengal minister further slammed the Home Minister for equating Maoists with Maxists, adding that Maoists' links with Trinamool 'is clear'.

Earlier on Thursday, the CPM took strong exception to Chidambaram's remarks that the Left had lost its popularity in West Bengal.

"It's another thing if the Home Minister is trying to please his colleague, but he is totally doing disgrace to history," CPM leader Nilotpal Basu told NDTV.

"Everybody knows that the CPI Maoists comes from the Naxalites and the Naxalites actually went out from the CPIM to form the party. For 20 years the Maoists were never there, because of the land reforms and ideological struggle they were never in Bengal," he added.

Basu said the CPI (M) has been the Maoists' biggest target and that no other party has sacrificed so many people.
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