| After the conclusion of its meeting today, the Left Front asked the state government to take immediate steps to restore normalcy in Nandigram and repair damaged roads and bridges, thereby obliquely criticising the government for not doing enough. |
| Front constituent Forward Block condemned the CPI(M)-led government's failure to restore peace in Nandigram and also for antagonising the local population by ordering the police firing that killed 14 people on March 14. |
| Even the attack by CPI(M) activists on intellectuals trying to visit the troubled area on May 2 was condemned severely by Forward Bloc state secretary Ashoke Ghosh. Senior CPI(M) leader Jyoti Basu joined him in saying that the attack was a "wrong act". |
| "There was political turmoil in Delhi at the time of sealing and demolition under a court order. And here in Nandigram, the government, without any warning, was attempting to acquire thousands of acres and drive local people away from their farms and homes," A senior RSP leader said. |
| Though he refused to name either Chief Minister Buddhadeb Bhattacharjee or MP Lakhsman Seth, the RSP leader said people in rural areas were accusing the state government of landgrab. "The CPI(M) cannot be allowed to damage the Front like this," he said. |
| Basu was also peeved with RIL's plans in West Bengal. While admitting that the company had the right to do business after acquiring land in the state, he said he was opposed to its entry in the agri sector. However, Basu added that the chief minister assured him that Reliance would not enter the agri-retail business in the state. |
| Recently, RIL emerged the highest bidder for the redevelopment of Kolkata's Park Circus market, now owned by the municipal corporation. |
| Forward Bloc is opposed to RIL's retail entry and the market redevelopment. Basu supports the Bloc's opposition, sources say. |
| Recently state laws were amended to ensure that all players in the organised agri-retail business obtained licences. However, the department refused to issue a licence to RIL on the grounds that its project would harm the interest of farmers and small traders. |
| One sideshow of today's Left Front meeting was the reaffirmation of the position of Biman Bose as chairman of the state Left Front by Basu himself. |
| Bose had said he would step down if Front constituents pressed their demand for a special committee to handle the Nandigram issue under his main critic, Forward Bloc's Ashoke Ghosh., |
| "There is no replacement for Biman Bose," said Jyoti Basu. |
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