Left Front backs Bhattacharjee on CAB polls, with rider though

Kolkata, June 23 (UNI) After a week-long trail of statements and counter statements from different quarters of the Left Front, the alliance today put up a unified decision of backing Chief Minister Buddhadeb Bhattacharjee regarding the CAB affairs.

However, the Front kept a rider in the form of Sports Minister Subhas Chakraborty who will share the responsibility with the Chief Minister.

At the end of the cloistered meeting of the Left Front, veteran Marxist leader Jyoti Basu said, ''Earlier, we didnt know the situation. Today we have been reported by the Chief Minister that (Police Commissioner) Prasun (Mukherjee) will take charge (in Cab).

''The CM has assured us that there will be no adverse affect. He will perform both the jobs. We empowered him and the sports minister to deal with the matter,'' he said.

''We came to know that West Bengal cricket is being adversely affected for the last two years. Inspite of having an international stadium like Eden Gardens the city has not received any international match. For the sake of Bengal cricket we need to do something,'' the former Chief Minister said.

Mr Bhattacharjee had asked incumbent Cricket Association of Bengal (CAB) president Jagmohan Dalmiya not to contest the polls this time.

Later Left Front Chairman Biman Basu said, ''We discussed about CAB. We have arrived at a decision. The Left Front will not poke its nose in the CAB elections. The CM has apprised the Front members of the situation. The CM and the Sports Minister will talk between themselves and take approprite decision.'' Asked if it showed a double standard on the Front's part, ''I will not pass any comment on that. I dont see it that way.'' On what the Left partners have been saying in their reaction to the comments made by Mr Bhattacharjee, he said, ''I have no comments on what the Left partners said. But after today what I am saying will be followed by the partners. It's the front's collective stand.'' ''It is in the interest of sports that the CM and sports minister have been authorised to take the measures. There seems to be a condition where there will be no match in Eden and we are concerned,'' he said.

The haze is slowly lifting with the Left Front coming out in the open with its decision today. This comes a day after Mr Chakraborty indicated that Mr Dalmiya may be backed by the Left front government in its litigations against BCCI, if it was found that injustice was done against him.

The CAB emergent general body meeting is scheduled on July 2 on whether Mr Dalmiya will contest or not and with the riddle unravelling fast, it seems CAB polls may just boil down to a consensus when it happens some 35 days from now.

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