Buddhadeb Bhattacharjee speaking at the seminar in Howrah on Sunday. Picture by Gopal Senapati

Calcutta, Nov. 1: Chief minister Buddhadeb Bhattacharjee has conceded that “a political change” has come to Bengal, the first such admission by him in public.

“Paschim Bange ekta rajnaitik paribartan eshechhe. Eta amra bujhte parchhi panchayat nirbachan, Lok Sabha ebong kichhu upanirbachaner falafal dekhe (A political change has come to West Bengal. We have realised this from the results of panchayat elections, Lok Sabha and a string of bypolls),” Bhattacharjee said.

He was speaking at a seminar on “Left movement and India”, organised by the CPM’s Howrah district committee at Anil Biswas Bhavan there.

Sending a blunt message to sections of the party that are still in a denial mode, the chief minister added: “Aamra mukhe jai bali na keno, jeta bastab sheta mene nite aamra shakale badhya (Whatever we may say, we are bound to accept the reality).”

“Damage has been done and we will have to repair it,” Bhattacharjee said.

The chief minister cited three reasons for the growing disenchantment of the people with the CPM.

First, farmers are confused about the acquisition of agricultural land to set up industry. “We did not understand their reaction to the acquisition of farmland for industry,” he said.

Second, both Bengali- and Urdu-speaking Muslims across the state have started feeling deprived after the release of the Sachar committee report, though few of them have gone through the report.

“The Sachar committee report has sent a wrong message to the Bengali- and Urdu-speaking Muslims about us. That is why they have started feeling deprived,” he said.

Last, the chief minister felt that the image of the government and that of the party had taken a beating over the years but he did not detail the reasons for such a perception.

“We will have to repair our image by going to the people and regularly interacting with them. We must listen to them and stand by them in their hour of distress,” he said.

Bhattacharjee referred to an ongoing controversy, iterating that the Trinamul Congress was maintaining links with Maoists.

“Without Trinamul’s help, the Maoists cannot kill people in Goaltore and Salboni of West Midnapore since they (the rebels) have no organisation there,” he added.

The chief minister also touched upon a pet project of his party leader Prakash Karat, the third front, but added a dash of pragmatism. “The third alternative is necessary but it cannot be achieved on one fine morning,” Bhattacharjee said.