CPM Polit Bureau Meets, Refuses to Blame Karat, Bhattarchjee

In its first politburo meeting after the poll results, the CPIM on Monday took stock of its worst electoral performance since its inception in 1964 but did not hold general secretary Prakash Karat or West Bengal CM Buddhadeb Bhattacharjee responsible for it.

In the meeting, all the members, except Bhattacherjee who has reportedly offered to quit following the poll debacle in the state, were present.

According to reports, knives were out for Karat in the party but senior Polit Bureau members who attended the meeting said that there was no question of the general secretary quitting the post.

“There is no question of Karat’s resignation,” politburo members Nirupam Sen and Manik Sarkar told reporters after the meeting.

Sen thrashed as ‘baseless and absolute rumours’ reports of Bhattacharjee quitting the Chief Ministership taking responsibility for the debacle in Bengal.