There was no other force save the Left parties to take on the Congress government at the Centre, West Bengal Chief Minister Buddhadeb Bhattacharjee claimed on Saturday.
"BJP is a dwindling force now. Congress has emerged as a major force and there is no other except the Left parties
that can take on the government and oppose its policies that are harming the common man," Bhattacherjee, a CPI (M) politburo member, told a Left Front convention in Kolkata.
The Chief Minister blamed the Centre for the rise in prices of essential commodities and demanded that it ban forward trading in essential commodities, which were "only benefitting corporate houses".
"The Congress came to power by raising expectations among the poor, but the path it is pursuing is a dangerous one. The rise in the prices of the essentials has become a matter of concern."
Left parties would hold rallies across the country to mobilise public opinion against the Centre's "failure" to check price rise, he said.