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Bhubaneswar turns 'red' for CPI-M meet

The temple city of Bhubaneswar turned 'red' on Friday, to welcome big-wigs of the Communist movement for the politburo meeting of the Communist Party of India-Marxist.

The city is full of traditional red flags, banners and red decorations. A CPI-M leader said that the city was turned red with help from ''comrades from West Bengal''.

"For a week, dozens of comrades have been working day and night to prepare Bhubaneswar for the politburo meeting," he added.

The meeting assumes significance as the party will chalk out its strategy for assembly elections in five states, including West Bengal. "This meeting assumes importance with Trinamul Congress leader Mamata Banerjee's efforts to constitute a mahajot in West Bengal to fight the Left Front headed by the CPI-M," said a senior CPI-M leader.

State CPI-M secretary Janardan Pati said that this was the first time the CPI-M politburo meeting was being held in the state.

The meeting will be attended by party general secretary Harkishan Singh Surjeet, former West Bengal chief minister Joyti Basu and chief ministers of CPI-M ruled states like Bengal, Kerala and Tripura.

Senior CPI-M leader Santosh Das told rediff.com on Thursday night that Basu had landed in Bhubaneswar and was put up at a four star hotel due to health problems. He added that Basu would be the only leader to stay in a star hotel.

Surjeet, West Bengal Chief Minister Bhuddhadev Bhattacharya, Kerala Chief Minister E K Nayanar and Tripura Chief Minister Manik Sarkar, besides CITU president E Balanandan and media savvy politburo member Sitaram Yechuri and Prakash Karat will stay at the state guesthouse. State delegates will stay in other guesthouses in the city.

The 17-member politburo will meet on Friday, which will be followed by the central committee meeting, which will hold deliberations for three days.

The politburo and central committee meetings will be held at the starred Hotel Sishmo, as ''we could not get the state-run conference hall'', said a party leader.

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