Indian Secular Front Chief Abbas Siddiqui broke the spirit of the Left-Congress alliance in West Bengal when he accepted the CPI (M) as his coalition partner, but failed to mention the Congress while addressing the mega rally at Brigade Parade Ground in Kolkata on Sunday.
“You would ask me why I did not take the name of any other party. I will say that they have not shown maturity like Biman da (Biman Bose, CPM politburo member and Left Front Chairman in Bengal). Thanks to Biman da and Mohd Selim we could get 30 seats from CPM to fight. Muslims and dalits would not play second fiddle anymore,” Siddiqui said.
The effect of Siddiqui’s presence was evident as the audience broke into thunderous applause and cheer when he graced the stage, but the crowd scattered after he left the dais, well before the rally ended.
Siddiqui had sought 60 seats from the Left-Congress alliance. However, the Congress, which is a major force in Murishidabad and Malda, refused to grant them seats in their strongholds. Siddiqui responded by saying that if he didn’t receive the share from Congress, he would have candidates in all seats of West Bengal Assembly polls except those from where the Left front is fighting.
Siddiqui has an alliance with Asaduddin Owaisi, and for this reason, the Congress is reportedly unwilling to give seats to the ISF chief or other partners of the front.
Though leader of the opposition in West Bengal Assembly and Congress leader Abdul Mannan had written to Sonia Gandhi seeking permission for seat-sharing with Siddiqui, talks have reached stalemate as Owaisi remains a bone of contention.
The situation remains tense as seen today when Mohd Selim stopped Adhir Chowdhury midway during his speech at the rally, only to tell the crowd that Siddiqui had arrived. Chowdhury refused to leave the mic and when pressed, wanted to discontinue his speech. However, Biman Bose intervened at this point and Chowdhury continued.
Siddiqui, during his address, said he wanted to hold the rally on his own and if the alliance had been stitched, he would have brought in more than double the number of people who were present to attend the mega rally.
“But I have come only as Biman da asked me to come. I hope good sense would prevail. I will make sure that Mamata (Banerjee) score zero in Bengal. If Mamata is defeated then only (Narendra) Modi could be defeated,” he said.
