Nandigram rumblings threaten to break left unity

Kolkata, Mar 16 (UNI) Holding a banner of revolt against the CPI(M), the Forward Bloc today warned that it would break away from the West Bengal Ministry as the resentment over the Nandigram police firing threatened to rip apart the ruling coalition.

Alleging that the Left Front government had turned into a "CPI(M) government'', the Forward Bloc said the RSP and CPI would also come out of the Ministry if they were not given respect.

"There is no Left Front government in West Bengal. It is turning into a CPI(M) government," Forward Bloc state Secretary Ashok Ghosh, one of the founders of the coalition ruling the state for 30 years, told reporters.

It was the demand of the smaller partners that police be removed from Nandigram, the Chief Minister declare that no chemical hub would be set up in the area and that the smaller partners were consulted before all important decisions, the veteran leader said.

"If the demands are not met, the Forward Bloc will come out of the Ministry, and so will the RSP and CPI," he said.

Mr Ghosh said the three smaller partners would meet in a conclave tonight to decide a unified stand before tomorrow's extended Left Front meeting on the Nandigram issue.

Yesterday, the Front meeting turned stormy with the smaller partners flaying the decision to send police to Nandigram and accusing the Chief Minister of keeping the partners in dark about important decisions.

Veteran CPI(M) leader Jyoti Basu also took serious exception to the Nandigram incident and reminded that the coalition government can not be run at the instance of a single party.

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