happy? Biman Bose with Ashok Ghosh at the meeting on Sunday. Picture by Bishwarup Dutta

Calcutta, Sept. 28: The Forward Bloc has agreed to issue a key licence to German wholesaler Metro Cash & Carry on October 10 after setting “certain conditions” that will be drawn up in discussions with the CPM.

The breakthrough at a Left Front meeting means chief minister Buddhadeb Bhattacharjee and the CPM have achieved their objectives.

Bhattacharjee has kept his word to the German investor to let it open its store and sent a reassuring signal to investors in the middle of the Singur row. The CPM has finally secured a coveted toehold in the agri-marketing administration, breaking into a territory that was till now under the stranglehold of Bloc bosses.

The Bloc has been allowed a face-saver, too. The party will get its marketing committee to issue the licence to Metro, which means the chief secretary’s directive to a government official on the panel to grant the approval by Tuesday becomes practically redundant.

CPM state secretary Biman Bose, instrumental in turning the rebellious ally around and sealing the deal by hugging Bloc veteran Ashok Ghosh, said the licence would be issued by the marketing committee “not on the basis of the chief secretary’s order”. The distinction allows room for the Bloc to claim that its condition to allow ministers to attend work — withdrawal of the chief secretary’s order — has been met.

THE DECISIONS Forward Bloc-run board to issue/renew licence to Metro Cash & Carry on October 10 Bloc and CPM to hold bilateral talks to discuss conditions to be linked to the licence Bloc ministers to attend office from Monday

The directive was issued at the instance of the chief minister after Metro’s repeated pleas for a licence were turned down by the Bloc-run committee, and the German company spoke of “evaluating options”.

Metro reacted with relief this evening, “heartily” thanking the chief minister, the government, the marketing board and all officials concerned. Asked about the proposed conditions, the company reserved comment till an official communication was issued.

Naren Chatterjee, the agriculture marketing board chairman and the principal opponent of Metro’s entry, said he was happy that “we have been given the authority to renew the licence after imposing certain conditions”.

Before October 10, the CPM and the Bloc will hold meetings to decide on the conditions. Sources said the conditions could involve the demand for a written assurance that the company would not retail farm produce — a promise Metro Cash & Carry has already made to the board.

Whatever the outcome of the bilateral talks, the exercise will give the CPM a role in agri-marketing — the Bloc’s zealously guarded preserve.

At the front meeting that went on for three hours this evening, the Bloc, which was hoping to cash in on the Singur atmosphere to armtwist big-brother CPM, found itself cornered when several allies raised withering questions.

A question the Bloc could not answer convincingly was why the licence was issued and renewed if the Bloc wanted to revoke it. Chatterjee said the late Kamal Guha, who was agriculture minister, had given the licence. It was then pointed out that Guha was also from the Bloc.

The CPI and the RSP, which usually stand by the Bloc, reportedly pointed out that the front had not taken any policy decision to obstruct foreign investment in wholesale.

The Bloc complained that “bureaucrats” were running the government. The comment was seen as a swipe at the chief secretary for issuing the directive. But the CPM replied that the decision was taken by the chief minister who had the full backing of the party.

At one point, the chief minister rose to his feet to request Ghosh to reconsider the threat to withdraw the Bloc’s four ministers, the sources said.