CPI(M) allies want bigger slice of RS pie

Nandigram, Dinhata and other issues of discontent in the Left Front in West Bengal seem to have taken a back seat as elections for the four Rajya Sabha seats from the state "" occupied by the Left "" draw near.

The Forward Bloc was engaged in a fierce war of words with the CPI(M) over recent police firing in Dinhata in North Bengal, where five of its supporters died.

However, barely a few days after accusing the ruling CPI(M) of executing 'dadagiri' (high-handedness) in Dinhata, the followers of Subhash Chandra Bose are awaiting a favour from the CPI(M) "" by voting their General Secretary Debabrat Biswas back to the Rajya Sabha.

Finding the CPI(M) somewhat cornered after a series of conflicts with its allies, the CPI has also demanded an extra seat in the Rajya Sabha.

Out of the four seats held by the Left, three belong to the CPI(M) and one to the Forward Bloc. The CPI has shot off a letter to state CPI(M) chief Biman Bose, demanding back one of these three seats because in the previous term it was held by its leader Gurudas Dasgupta, who has been elected to the 14th Lok Sabha from Panskura.

The term of these four seats along with another one, held by the Trinamool Congress, will end on April 2.

To date, Prakash Karat or the state CPI(M) unit have not responded officially. However, a CPI(M) central committee member said, "Even Gurudas Dasgupta won his Lok Sabha seat because of us. Without the CPI(M)'s help, the allies cannot dream of winning any seat."

A section of the CPI(M) is totally opposed to giving more seats to the allies. "There is a seat-sharing arrangement in place. If it is reviewed, the CPI(M) should get more seats than the allies."

The CPI has reminded the CPI(M) that veteran Politburo member Jyoti Basu, among others, had assured that this seat would be given back to the CPI.

However, a section of the CPI(M) refutes this and says the three seats always belonged to the CPI(M) and one of these was given to Dasgupta because he failed to win the previous Lok Sabha elections.

The Forward Bloc has already snapped ties with the CPI(M) in Tripura and has fielded 15 candidates in the Assembly elections. The party showed calculated courage as it knows it has nothing to lose in Tripura.

In the last elections in Tripura, the Forward Bloc contested one seat, where its candidate forfeited his security deposit.

However, in West Bengal, where the Forward Bloc shares power, it can't afford to be an out and out rebel.

Although they are not depending on the CPI(M) and have decided to fight the panchayat polls alone, when it comes to a Rajya Sabha seat, Debabrat Biswas told Business Standard: "There is a seat-sharing agreement between the constituents of the Left Front and that should continue."

The Forward Bloc, which has two MPs in the Upper House, sees its role in the state as a rudder to steer the Buddhadeb Bhattacharjee government in the "right direction".

"There is a fight between thesis and anti-thesis in West Bengal. The CPI(M) is thesis and we are the anti-thesis. A synthesis will come out of this conflict," Biswas said.

When it comes to sharing power, be it in the state government or Parliament, the smaller Left partners seem to follow only one theory"" the CPI(M)'s might should be used for their benefit.