Dissenting voices within the CPM are rarely heard above the hum of its “disciplined” party machine but after its worst electoral debacle in three decades, more and more voices from West Bengal are openly questioning the leadership of General Secretary Prakash Karat.

West Bengal Chief Minister Buddhadeb Bhattacharjee, who is said to be “angry and upset” after the rout, has decided to skip the Politburo meeting called in the capital tomorrow. And one defeated candidate has said that Karat ignored veteran CPM leader Jyoti Basu’s warning not to pull down the UPA government.

For the record, Nirupam Sen, the state’s Industries Minister, who is also a Politburo member, said that Bhattacharjee was staying away “in view of the deteriorating law and order situation in the state after the Lok Sabha polls.” But insiders said the CM feels the Politburo at this stage was a “futile exercise” as the UPA has already got the numbers and it’s clear the Left will have to sit in opposition. “What’s there to decide and debate?” asked a comrade.

The chorus of criticism against Karat gathered more voices today as stunned party leaders identified two issues: withdrawal of support to the UPA on the n-deal and Karat’s Third Front fancy. The Indian Express spoke to some of them:

•Prasanta Pradhan: Defeated MP from Contai, a four-time MLA contesting the Lok Sabha polls first time. “People have not taken kindly to the withdrawal of support from the UPA government. This decision was taken by the Politburo and central committee. Before taking this decision, our general secretary Prakash Karat met Jyoti Basu twice. Basu repeatedly warned him against trying to pull down the UPA government. For, the issue at stake, the nuclear deal, was an extremely complex one. The poor and the farmers never understood why we wanted to topple the government. And the Third Front? Before people could comprehend who was with us and who was not, the polls were over. That’s why the people did not accept us.”

... contd.