Calcutta, May 26: CPM general secretary Prakash Karat today asked Bengal party leaders to scan the factors behind the rural poll setback and overcome them as fast as possible to gear up for the next battle — the Lok Sabha elections.

“The general elections could be held in six to eight months. We have to analyse the factors that helped the Opposition gain ground in rural Bengal and address our drawbacks fast,” a CPM state committee member quoted Karat as saying.

The two-day state committee meeting was convened to conduct a “preliminary review” of the results.

The Left Front lost two zi- lla parishads — Nandigram-scarred East Midnapore and South 24-Parganas, across the Hooghly river — to the Trinamul Congress and one — North Dinajpur — to the Congress. The Opposition also made inroads in North 24-Parganas, Howrah, Hooghly and Nadia, posing a threat to the Left in at least 14 Lok Sabha seats.

Buddhadeb Bhattacharjee, who addressed the meeting this morning, admitted like many leaders from the districts that the “fear of losing land and the confusion over acquisition” had taken a toll.

“The Opposition created confusion... which led to a fear psychosis among farmers even in places where there was no plan to acquire land. We failed to counter it.”

“The people have not rejected us but given us a warning. We have to learn our lessons and take people into confidence while pursing industrialisation,’’ a participant quoted Bhattacharjee as saying.

Karat stressed on “confidence-building measures among farmers” while sticking to the “goal of industrialisation”.

The party chief articulated four major reasons for the setback (see box). “He focused on our failure to gauge the popular discontent over land,’’ a minister said.

At the recent Coimbatore party congress, Karat had backed Bengal’s industrialisation drive but said: “We must be all the more careful on largescale land acquisition.”

Today, he also mentioned the party’s “inability to address the grievances of Muslims, which became more credible” after the Sachar Committee brought forth the lack of development and opportunities for Muslims in Bengal.

“He (Karat) felt the party had not taken due notice of the ration riots in which people attacked our leaders for hobnobbing with corrupt ration dealers,” said another leader.

Karat said the Bengal setback will impact the CPM across India. “The party’s movements in other states will also be affected. So it is vital for the entire party to know exactly what went wrong,” a Bengal leader quoted Karat as saying.

The rural polls will also figure in the party’s central committee meeting on May 29-30.

Muslims comprise 27 per cent of the state’s population.

State CPM secretary Biman Bose declined comment on the impact of the land war on the elections. But he made it clear the party would in the future shun the Singur model, in which the government was accused of forcible acquisition.

“Singur was the first big project in the course of industrialisation. It’s an old issue that I won’t like to dissect here. Industrialisation will continue by taking people into confidence as was the case while arranging plots for big steel projects in Burdwan, Purulia, Bankura and West Midnapore,” he said.

At his first public meeting since the polls, the chief minister told an Indo-Bavarian business meet he wanted a balance between industry and agriculture. “We are trying to formulate a balanced policy with the objective of raising the standard of living of the poor by consolidating agriculture and encouraging industry. We are also seeking foreign direct investment for the state.”

He added: “Whenever I meet the Prime Minister... he speaks about how we should seriously take up the Look East policy. The East and Southeast are very important but we cannot afford to ignore the West. Europe is still the intellectual and R&D hub.”

RSP meeting

At a meeting with front partner RSP, the CPM state chief urged its leaders to ensure Left unity in the elections to 13 municipalities on June 29.

The RSP held the government’s “wrong policies on industry and land acquisition” responsible for the poll debacle.