The chief minister addresses the gathering in Mainaguri. Picture by Biplab Basak

Siliguri, Dec. 17: The absence of a consistent political campaign for the closed tea gardens of the region has badly hurt the CPM, grassroots workers told their leaders at the Jalpaiguri district conference of the party.

The two-day meet, held behind closed doors, ended at Mainaguri today.

“The workers specifically pointed out that the CPM and its labour arm, the Citu, have failed to organise any consistent movement for the closed gardens,” an insider said. “This has left a section of the garden workers disgruntled and many of them have joined other trade unions, including those of the Left Front allies.”

At the district conference, the workers also demanded that the CPM contest next year’s panchayat elections in Jalpaiguri alone rather that as a constituent of the Front.

“They expressed anger at the way leaders of allies like the CPI and the Forward Bloc, who do not have any mass base, were attacking the party after the incidents in Nandigram. They insisted that the CPM should contest the rural polls alone and not approach the allies unless they came forward,” the insider said.

CPM leaders told them to remain calm till the state conference of the party is held in Calcutta in January.

This year, five new faces — Arun Ghosh (Mainaguri), Manik Chakraborty and Subhash Roy (Dhupguri) and Chaitan Munda and Sukhmait Oraon (Nagrakata) — were included in the 65-member district committee, which was formed yesterday. The committee re-elected veteran leader Manik Sanyal as the district secretary.

Ramprasad Bhujel, a district committee member from Nagrakata, was removed after allegations of anti-party activities and corruption were levelled against him. “Of the 65 committee members, 16 have been selected to represent the district in the party’s state conference in Calcutta,” a CPM leader said.

The conference ended with a public meeting at Mainaguri this afternoon, where chief minister Buddhadeb Bhattacharjee, along with his cabinet colleagues Nirupam Sen and Jogesh Burman, addressed a gathering of around 10,000 people.

“The Trinamul Congress is opposing every step we take towards industrialisation,” Bhattacharjee said in his speech. “They must realise that it is not just a CPM-Trinamul tussle but the development of the state which is at stake.”

The chief minister maintained that industries would be established in north Bengal too. “We have brought Videocon here and have a number of other proposals with us.”

However, Bhattacharjee did not spare a single word on the tea industry.

Later, the chief minister left for Siliguri circuit house where he met GNLF chief Subhas Ghisingh. Tomorrow, before departing for Calcutta in the afternoon, he is likely to visit Himul and the television and computer manufacturing unit of Videocon (at the refurbished Kanchan) and meet some self-help groups at Naxalbari.