Left not to split to benefit Mamata

New Delhi, Feb 18 (UNI) Left parties today scoffed at the Trinamool Congress chief Ms Mamata Banerjee's "new tactics" to dislodge the Left Front government in West Bengal and split the Left votes.

The top leaders of the CPI (M), CPI and Forward Bloc said Ms Bannerjee is ignorant about the history of the Left movement in West Bengal and the country as a whole.

The Left leaders remarks came a day after she reportedly declared that "This time we have to divide the Left vote bank but at the same time we have to bring Leftists closer in our newly formed Progressive Secular Democratic Front." Ms Bannerjee is also reported to have said that she is not against Left politics as they have many Left allies in the newly formed PSDF.

CPI (M) Polit Bureau member M K Pandhe asserted that "they (the Left constituents) can criticise us but can not desert us." On Ms Bannerjee's "enthusiasm" to split the Left vote bank, Mr Pandhe said, "Let her entertain her dreams. If she thinks that some constituent will join her she will be greatly disillusioned.' Endorsing Mr Pandhe's assertion, CPI Floor leader in the Lok Sabha Mr Gurudas Dasgupta said," I can simply say that she is living in a fool's paradise." Forward Bloc General Secretary Debavrat Biswas said that she was day dreaming becuase she did not know the Left movement in West Bengal and in the country.

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