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Crisis averted in Left Front

Special Correspondent

KOLKATA: An emergency meeting of leaders of the Left Front that lasted two hours and 45 minutes unanimously concurred here on Sunday evening that the contentious agricultural produce marketing committee licence to the German company Metro Cash and Carry will be renewed on October 10 “with certain conditionalities.”

The leadership of the All India Forward Bloc (AIFB) – the second largest constituent of the ruling Left Front – that was opposed to an order issued by the State’s Chief Secretary on September 26 to renew the licence, decided to put on hold its earlier threat to pull out its Ministers.

It had cautioned on September 27 that the order issued by the Chief Secretary be revoked by Tuesday failing which the party would withdraw from the Cabinet.

The Left Front meeting decided that the order renewing the licence would now be issued by the State’s Agriculture Marketing Board.

The “conditionalities” would be determined in the course of discussions between leaders of the Communist Party of India (Marxist) and the AIFB before October 10, Biman Bose, chairman of the Left Front Committee, said.

Ashok Ghosh, general secretary of the AIFB’s State Committee had announced on September 26 the party’s decision to ask Ministers belonging to the AIFB not to attend to their duties at the State Secretariat from Monday. This was followed the next day with a threat to withdraw from the State Cabinet.

He had been critical of Chief Minister Buddhadeb Bhattacharjee, directing the Chief Secretary to renew the licence. The move had been made without consulting the Left Front and prior to the bilateral talks between the CPI(M) and the AIFB scheduled for Saturday, Mr. Ghosh stated.

The AIFB has opposed the entry of any big player in agri-business in the State and the State Agriculture Marketing Board that deals in farm produce withdrew the APMC licence to Metro Cash and Carry in June 2007.

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