Mamata Banerjee in New Delhi on Wednesday. (PTI)

April 10: The attack by the CPM students’ wing SFI on Bengal finance minister Amit Mitra has gifted Mamata Banerjee a chance to reap a political windfall and saddled the CPM with a tactical blunder.

The Bengal chief minister was today admitted to a private clinic in Calcutta after she cut short her visit to Delhi and returned. Following complaints of pain, breathing problems and palpitation, she has been advised rest.

In the districts where panchayat polls will be due soon, a Trinamul Congress backlash began to take shape against CPM establishments — which is being seen as a precursor to a concerted effort to put the Left on the defensive ahead of the elections that are stuck in a dispute now.

But the CPM was at a loss on how to tackle the crisis, especially since it has so far not taken any action against those who organised the protest in Delhi.

Besides, Bengal governor M.K. Narayanan issued an unequivocal statement that specifically asked the CPM politburo to apologise, saying the attack was “unprecedented in India’s modern history”.

The Janata Dal (United), considered a party “friendly” to Mamata, too today stood behind the Bengal chief minister, saying her anger was “justified”.

“She had gone to Delhi for the cause of Bengal, not on some political mission,” Bihar JD(U) chief and MP Basishtha Narayan Singh said in Patna.

The JD(U) said the attack by the SFI was uncalled for.

“The Delhi administration should have taken steps to ensure the safety and security to a democratically elected chief minister who had gone to meet the Prime Minister and Union finance minister for the cause of her state. Her attackers behaved in a thoroughly irresponsible and undemocratic manner,” Basishtha Singh said.

Bihar chief minister Nitish Kumar is known to share an “amicable relationship” with Mamata. Nitish, for instance, had strongly backed the White Paper that Mamata had issued as railway minister against his political rival and her predecessor in the ministry, Lalu Prasad.

Faced with mounting criticism, the CPM politburo today “condemned” and “disapproved” yesterday’s incident outside the Planning Commission building.

CPM general secretary Prakash Karat said Tuesday’s incident should not have happened. But he blamed Delhi police for allowing the protesters up to the entry gate.

“Whatever happened yesterday should not have happened. We condemn it,” Karat said.

“Why did the police allow the protesters to reach the gate? They should have barricaded and stopped them at least 500 yards ahead of the gate. That is normally done,” Karat said in reply to a question.

Karat refused to speak more. But party insiders said party leaders who had led yesterday’s protest — prominent being central committee member and Delhi state party secretary Puspinder Grewal and SFI all India general secretary Ritabrata Banerjee — were summoned to AK Gopalan Bhavan, the party headquarters.

Sources said the two leaders were asked how the “tactical mistake” was committed.

The CPM, however, has refrained from taking any action against the leaders, despite sources acknowledging that they were blamed for failure to control the protest and committed a “big blunder”.