Buddhadeb, Nirupam Sen skip CPI(M) politburo meeting

Top Bengal leaders Buddhadeb Bhattacharya and Nirupam Sen did not attend the CPI(M) politburo meeting here today as the party initiated a preliminary discussion on the recent civic body poll debacle in the state.

The two-day politburo meeting, which began this morning, was attended by General Secretary Prakash Karat, M K Pandhe, Manik Sarkar, Pinarayi Vijayan and Kodiyeri Balakrishnan.

The main agenda of the meeting is to discuss the preparations for the extended Central Committee meeting to be held in Vijayawada in August.

"We will be discussing the preparations for the extended CC Meeting," Pandhe told reporters before the meeting.
   
He also said the meeting will have a preliminary discussion on the Bengal civic poll results.
   
"The state committee has not yet discussed the matter. We will have a detailed discussion on it later. However, we will have a preliminary discussion here," he said.
   
However, the meeting which discusses the poll debacle is not being attended by Chief Minister Bhattacharya and state Industries Minister Nirupam Sen, both members of the politburo.
   
Bhattacharya has cited post-poll violence in the state as the reason for his inability for attending the meeting, Pandhe said.
   
This is the second time Bhattacharya is skipping a politburo meeting. Earlier, he had skipped a politburo meeting after the 2009 Lok Sabha polls where the Left suffered a huge blow in the state.
   
Pandhe said Sen had in the last meeting informed that he would not be available for this meeting as he had some family functions to attend.