LF land acquisition policy had created doubts: Buddhadeb

"Despite lots of achievements in our 34-year rule, remaining in power for so many years had affected us apart from other reasons like wrongs in governance," Bhattacharjee said at a party workers' meet here.

"There was nothing wrong in industrialisation. But land acquisition policy had created some doubts among people...Had we looked after the interests of all the poor people, this would not have happened," the CPI-M Politburo leader said about the reason behind the erosion in LF's support base.

He said the reasons for the CPI(M)-led Left Front's drubbing at the hands of Trinamool Congress in the 2011 Assembly elections had been analysed.

The behaviour of some leaders who had moved away from the poor people was one of the reasons for the debacle, he said.

Not naming seven-time Lok Sabha MP Anil Basu, who had lost in 2009 Parliament elections from his stronghold Arambag, Bhattacharjee said "The mindset of some leaders in Arambag was like they were the masters and that they would lord over the masses. This was not taken lightly by the people."

Basu was expelled from the party for 'anti-party activities'.

"Another wrong here was not allowing the opposition to function...It was a big wrong," he said

"We have to go to the people and tell them that we have corrected our wrongs and those will not happen again," he said while stressing on increasing contacts with the general people to regain their faith and support.

Referring to Panchayat polls in the state likely to take place early next year, he said "The ruling Trinamool Congress is only talking and not working for development. This is an opportunity to regain the support of the people."