Kolkata: Former Lok Sabha Speaker Somnath
Chatterjee on Sunday criticised West Bengal Chief Minister
Buddhadeb Bhattacharjee's infamous diatribe 'amra, ora' (we
and others) on opposition parties, saying such remarks would
have an adverse impact on the CPI-M.
Chatterjee was referring to the chief minister's
comments during the land acquisition controversy in Nandigram
and Singur in 2008 when the latter termed the CPI-M favouring
the process as 'amra' and those opposing it as 'ora'.
The veteran leader was speaking at the Bengal National
Chamber of Commerce during Independence Day celebration.
He remarked that the land acquisition for setting up
industry was a must and pulled up Trinamool Congress for
opposing lawful means of land acquirement.
Speaking on the prospects of his former party in the
2011 Assembly elections, Chatterjee said he did not know how
the party would fare, but pointed out that winning seven
Assembly terms at a stretch was not a easy job.
"I do not know what will happen in the next election,
but winning seven terms consecutively is an exemplary job not
witnessed anywhere in the country," he said.
Chatterjee also endorsed the current trend of Left
Front leaders to own up mistakes.
"Despite being an MP from Bolpur for several terms, I
have failed to realise why education had failed to reach the
tribals of the area. Some 80 per cent of the students there
fail to clear board-level examinations," he said.
PTI
First Published: Sunday, August 15, 2010, 19:00