Workers make CPI(M) party symbol ahead of Lok Sabha elections, in Kolkata.
Credit: PTI Photo
Kolkata: Dismissing as a "blatant lie" the Trinamool Congress' allegations that its party flags were seen alongside those of the BJP during a procession in Darjeeling district, the CPI(M) on Wednesday said that before politicking in the state, the TMC should know the history of West Bengal politics.
The CPI(M), in a social media post, said that those red flags belong to the Communist Party of Revolutionary Marxists (CPRM), which had split from the CPI(M) in 1996 over the Gorkhaland issue in the Darjeeling hills.
The TMC posted in its X handle a video, the authenticity of which could not be independently verified by the PTI, where both red and saffron flags were seen during a procession in Darjeeling district.
It stated, "Welcome to Bengal where the Saffron and the Red are indistinguishable."
In the post, the TMC said, "The unholy alliance of @BJP4Bengal and @CPIM-WestBengal has come to clear sight as the CPI(M) supporters march together alongside the Bangla-Birodhi @BJP4India flag."
Issuing a strong rebuttal, the CPI(M) said that the allegation was a "blatant lie" and also unethical as per election rules.
It demanded that the TMC remove the video from their X handle immediately, maintaining that the CPI(M) would take further action against this according to rules laid down under the Model Code of Conduct (MCC) for the Lok Sabha elections.
The CPI(M) post in its X handle said, "CPRM declared itself as a separate party, as they were dissatisfied with the peace settlement of the Left Front government signed with the Gorkha National Liberation Front (GNLF). They have no connection with the CPI(M) at present."