Almost two months after the ?recapture? of Nandigram by its party cadres, the CPI(M) has decided to organise its first rally in the area with chief minister Buddhadeb Bhattacharya and Biman Bose as key participants.

For Buddhadeb, the visit will be his first after the November ?recapture? which he had sought to justify by saying that ??the people who suffered were paid back in their own coin.?? The chief minister had to express regret for the remarks after a section of artists and intellectuals attacked him over it.

??This will be the first public meeting after the problems in the area. The chief minister and the state party secretary will attend the programme as an effort to boost the confidence of the people in the area,?? CPI(M) central secretariat member Hannan Mollah told FE.

Officially, the rally is organised as part of the East Midnapore district conference of the CPI(M). The party sources also said that the main rally as part of the conference would be held at East Midanapore. About a lakh people are supposed to attend the rally.

??Because of the geographical peculiarities it would be difficult for the villagers of Nandigram to reach the rally site at East Midnapore. So we decided to organise a separate rally for Nandigram three hours prior to the main rally,?? Mollah added.

However, the rally is considered as move to give a befitting reply to the Forward Bloc’s rally held at Nandigram on last Sunday. Addressing the rally Forward Bloc leader Ashok Ghosh had attacked the CPI(M) and the Left Front government for what happened in Nandigram. Ghosh had criticised Bhattacharya and state industries minister Nirupam Sen for the ?wrong? industrial policies of the state.

Apart from the Forward Bloc, the CPI and the RSP were also critical of the CPI(M)?s ?recapturing? of the Nandigram. The chief minister and the CPI(M) secretary is likely to counter the criticism raise by the allies and by the Trinamool Congress and Bhumi Ucched Pratirodh Samiti.