SUBRATA NAGCHOUDHURY(With inputs from New Delhi)

KOLKATA, MAY 9:It is election time in West Bengal and understandably a time to pull some punches at the Congress by the Marxists. Perhaps this was behind Buddhadeb Bhattacharjee targeting Dr Manmohan Singh, who had ranked him as the country’s best Chief Minister. Bhattacharjee on Friday sounded rather unlike himself when he described Singh as a “failed Prime Minister.”

In the ensuing panchayat polls, Congress is a bigger rival to the CPI(M) than the Trinamool Congress. The Congress has under its control two Zilla Parishads of Malda and Murshidabad and is putting up a stiff fight in Uttar Dinajpur and Nadia, this time, under the leadership of Priya Ranjan Das Munshi, Union Minister and West Bengal Pradesh Congress president.

Talking to the media at an interactive session on the eve of the state’s panchayat elections, Bhattacharjee was sharply critical about Dr Manmohan Singh and said: “Unfortunately as the Prime Minister, he is failing to perform. Inflation has hit the country. It is because of his failures that the Congress has been facing the music in several states. The BJP is taking advantage of this,” said Bhattacharjee.

Three-four states have gone to the polls during Dr Singh’s Prime Ministership and everywhere the Congress had been defeated. The BJP is taking the advantage, he said.

Bhattacharjee defended the CPI(M)’s continued support to the UPA-led coalition by saying it was out of sheer compulsion. “It is to stop the BJP-led NDA,” he explained. “We are supporting Dr Manmohan Singh’s Government on certain terms and conditions. When they fail to fulfil those, we will certainly criticise.”

When pointed out that the Marxists were only enjoying the fruits of power without shouldering any responsibility in the coalition, Bhattachajree retorted back: “Tell me what extra benefits we are enjoying?” He then asserted: “They ( the Congress) are filing on the economic front. As a political entity we will still call them secular. But he is failing to perform.” “We just cannot support the NDA. We can’t support the Congress-led UPA either. We are in favour of a third front. But for the moment we are supporting the UPA to stop BJP-led NDA to come to power. The BJP is dangerous. BJP and RSS will destroy the country,” Bhattacharjee said.

Asked if the CPI(M) would once again support the Congress-led coalition at the Centre, Bhattacharjee said it was difficult to predict so early. Let the elections be held first. The left would certainly look for a third alternative. But we will decide after the elections,” Bhattacharjee said.

Reacting to the comments, the Congress said the CM of such a big state should first “check facts”. AICC spokesperson Shakeel Ahmad said the Congress had registered a landslide win in Haryana after Manmohan Singh had taken over as PM. Besides, the NDA regime in Jharkhand was replaced by the UPA regime during this period. Even in Gujarat Assembly election the Congress increased its tally by 11 seats. “Winning or losing is a part of the electoral process. Before making such a statement, a senior leader like Bhattacharjee should first check facts,” Ahmad said in New Delhi.

Meanwhile, the Chief Minister refused to comment on the Governor’s self-imposed power cut. Bhattacharjee said: “I will not comment on the step taken by the Governor, but the power situation in the state is not that bad. There are at times mechanical snags, but the gap between demand and supply is not much,” he added.

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