Prakash Karat

New Delhi, April 20: Prakash Karat might have gone against a poll strategy decided under his own leadership at a CPM central committee meeting by dubbing Mamata Banerjee a “goongi gudiya (dumb doll)”, party leaders feel.

At the three-day meeting in the first week of March to finalise the strategy for the Bengal and Kerala elections, the leaders had felt personal attacks on Mamata might not be prudent and could even turn out to be counterproductive.

The central leadership then urged state leaders to avoid personal barbs as it might generate sympathy for the Trinamul Congress chief.

Many CPM leaders are of the view that Karat should have avoided the “dumb doll” insinuation as it could harm the ruling Left. Also, they feel the barb fails miserably to describe Mamata as she is not exactly known to be reticent.

“Even if he (Karat) had to attack Mamata he should have thought of something intelligent. Who in Bengal will believe Mamata is a dumb doll?” said a CPM leader, contrasting Karat’s remark with Bengal chief minister Buddhadeb Bhattacharjee’s move to steer clear of personal remarks against the Trinamul chief.

Karat had told a Calcutta rally yesterday that Mamata was a “goongi gudiya” in Delhi while criticising her for her failure to speak up as Union minister against the Centre’s decision to hike prices of petrol and other essentials.

Today, Trinamul general secretary and junior shipping minister Mukul Roy said: “I’m surprised at such a comment. People of Bengal know what Mamata Banerjee does when she is in Delhi. She is the only person who fights for the development of the state.”

CPM insiders said the suggestion not to launch personal attacks on Mamata was taken after an assessment that such remarks by some Bengal leaders in the past had backfired.

Under the strategy finalised at the central committee meeting last month, party leaders and cadres were asked to make price rise and corruption the key issues and focus on Mamata’s perceived failures as railway minister.

Central leaders had argued that concentrating on price rise and corruption would strike a chord among agricultural and industrial workers — the CPM’s core supporters. “Corruption and price rise under the UPA II government is playing with the livelihoods of the poor. We will tell agricultural and industrial workers how the Left has been their vanguard,” politburo member and Bengal industry minister Nirupam Sen had said after the meeting.

The CPM insiders pointed out how the central committee’s anti-barb suggestion was honoured by the Bengal leaders. They cited chief minister Bhattacharjee as an example, saying he had taken the right track by acknowledging mistakes committed by the party and his government, and felt it was having an impact.

“Our strategy should be to be to show humility and accept mistakes and offer correction. Only then would the Left be able to reduce the anger of the people,” said a senior CPM leader.

In recent weeks, Bengal CPM leaders have repeatedly accused Trinamul of spending black money on the campaign, hoping such a line could turn people away from Mamata’s party at a time the Centre is buffeted by scandals.