Kolkata, June 27 (IANS) A day after being censured by his party for defying the official stand and participating in a Congress rally, Communist Party of India-Marxist legislator Tanmoy Bhattacharya on Monday defended his move.
The West Bengal CPI-M on Sunday had censured Bhattacharya for participating in the Saturday rally here called by the Congress against price rise and "attacks on the democracy under the Mamata Banerjee-led Trinamool Congress regime".
The Marxist-led Left Front had decided against joining the rally following the Central Committee - the CPI-M's highest decision-making body - saying the "electoral tactics adopted in Bengal was not in consonance with the Central Committee decision not to have an alliance or understanding with the Congress".
Bhattacharya, though, insisted his act was not in defiance of the central committee stand.
"I have gone through the statement made by the central committee and in context of that, I don't think there was any wrong in participating in the rally.
"I personally still cannot find any divergence in my act with the stand taken by the central committee," Bhattacharya said on Monday.
"I am a disciplined party member and respect the communique issued by the party leadership censuring me. The party leadership has criticised my act and I accept it. I will introspect and in future I will consult with the leadership in such matters," he added.
A first-time MLA, Bhattacharya on Saturday too had defended his decision saying he didn't have the audacity to disrespect public mandate.
"Two months back we had gone to the people saying we have formed an alliance urging them to give a chance to the alliance. Over two crore people had supported our call. I cannot disrespect the people's mandate," he had said at the rally.
