Buddha says sorry for anti-bandh remarks

“My views on bandhs are my personal opinion,” Buddha said.

The apology came after Politburo issued statement censuring Buddhadeb.

To a question, Charaborty said that the Politburo's statement in Delhi on Thursday on the issue ‘is itself a censure of the Chief Minister for his anti-bandh stand.’

"Buddhadev Bhattacharjee did not try to defend himself or oppose the Politburo decision," Chakraborty, who is CITU West Bengal president, said.

Party politburo member and state secretary Biman Bose also disagreed with Bhattacharjee's anti-bandh stand and said what he had stated was not the party's stand.

Bose and Bhattacharjee shared the platform at a condolence meeting for Harkishen Singh Surjeet on Wednesday, where Bhattacharjee did not oppose Bose's view.

Bhattacharjee was earlier censured by party in early 1990 for resigning from Jyoti Basu cabinet ‘without informing the party.’

His anti-bandh stand has been rejected by all Left Front constituents and trade unions on the ground that fundamental right of workers to strike could not be taken away.

"It is a democratic mode of protest and we are not ready to forego this right," the Left parties and trade unions have said.

West Bengal CITU general secretary Kali Ghosh said that Bhattacharjee's remarks were his personal opinion and that the issue should have been discussed in the Left Front.