'CPI-M should apologise for Singur, Nandigram fiasco'

The Communist Party of India-Marxist should apologise to the people of West Bengal for its "policy mistake" in Singur and Nandigram that was reflected in the Left Front's debacle in the Lok Sabha polls in the state, Communist Party of India (Marxist-Leninist) (Liberation) general secretary Dipankar Bhattacharya said in Ranchi on Monday.

"The CPI-M may hold review meetings, but nothing less than an apology will serve to rectify its anti-farmer steps taken in Singur and Nandigram," he told a press conference.     

On Left's defeat in general elections in Kerala, Bhattacharya said, "In Kerala, the reports of internal problems of CPI-M led to its poor show. . .The internal problems sent a clear message to the people that the party lacked transparency."

Advocating a strong Left unity, Bhattacharya said, CPI-ML(L) was in support of a strategy to face future polls.

"We want a strong Left unity. CPI-ML(L) has slowly expanded its popularity in Jharkhand, where the party got three per cent of the total votes polled in the Lok Sabha polls, which is satisfactory compared to the 2004 elections," he added.