CPI(ML) MLA Santosh Rana quits party

KOLKATA: CPI(ML) MLA and veteran Naxalite leader Santosh Rana resigned from the party on Sunday, and his resignation has been accepted by the central committee. Rana was earlier a general secretary of CPI(ML).
Rana now 73, was the sole CPI(ML) MLA in Bengal, as he had won the Assembly seat of Gopiballavpur in 1977.
Rana had pleaded for supporting Left Front in the ensuing Bengal polls as Trinamool is the main enemy in Bengal, which CPI(ML) leadership is opposed to.The CPI(ML) is opposed to both Trinamool and Left and wants to maintain equidistance from them, said Vaskar Nandy, interim GS in a press statement and added that they had tried to convince Rana, but failed.
Rana said that he was also in favour of Congress-LF alliance, as Mamata Banerjee was ruling Bengal in an undemocratic way. He said that the Mamata Banerjee government had stopped the pension of political sufferers - a paltry sum of Rs 3,200. He said that they had contested and had won in the single bench, but now the state government has challenged it in the division bench.
Rana said that the Naxalites had united with Mamata Banerjee during Nandigram movement, but they failed to accept the killing of Kishanji. "Mamata ahd held meetings with Chhatrdhar Mahato and she killed Kishanji, a dichotomy, which I cannot tolerate, so I want to make an end to this misrule," Rana said.