Calcutta, Jan. 3: The CPM state secretariat today met in the presence of national chief Prakash Karat to discuss social sector “shortcomings” in a session insiders said was prompted by impending elections as well as rival Trinamul’s rural gains.

Chief minister Buddhadeb Bhattacharjee, state secretary Biman Bose and politburo colleagues Brinda Karat and Sitaram Yechury attended the meeting, aimed at gearing up the party before canvassing starts for the Lok Sabha polls.

Brinda, Prakash Karat and Yechury had come to attend party mouthpiece Ganashakti’s 42nd anniversary programme.

Secretariat members said the meeting reviewed the “achievements and shortcomings” of the government and the party in the social sector in order to “speed up” development. They said it dwelt at length on issues related to tribal uplift in view of the unrest in three districts adjoining Jharkhand.

The stocktaking session comes in the backdrop of the Trinamul Congress-led Opposition’s efforts to make inroads into the CPM’s traditional but eroding support base among tribals, Muslims and the rural poor.

The Left won 36 of the state’s 42 Lok Sabha seats in 2004 but, in the wake of successive setbacks in panchayat and municipal polls, the CPM fears the front it leads might lose a few this time.

“We reviewed our work in different sectors in the light of the guidelines of the last party congress” Karat said.

Later, addressing the Ganashakti anniversary programme, both Bhattacharjee and Bose betrayed the party’s worries as they attacked the Trinamul-led Opposition for “shedding tears” for tribals and minorities.

“Nandigram and Lalgarh would not have happened if Trinamul had not joined hand with the Maoists. They are inciting anarchy and violence everywhere in the state — from Darjeeling to West Midnapore,” Bhattacharjee said.

Karat said the violence in “Keshpur to Nandigram (and) Lalgarh to Calcutta” was not isolated but “part of a well-planned onslaught”.

“I have told the politburo in its last meeting that Bengal’s problems are… of concern for the entire party. We are ready to face the Maoist-Trinamul challenge and defeat the conspiracy,” he said.

Bhattacharjee said there was no question of “going back” on industrialisation but his government was ready with “new guidelines on rehabilitation and alternative livelihood” for landlosers.

The party’s poll strategy will be fine-tuned at a central committee meeting in Kochi next week. The Bengal committee will meet after that to finalise campaign guidelines.