In an article to be published in the Peoples' Democracy, the weekly mouth piece of the party, Karat has written that the recent electoral outcome in Bengal showed that some sections of people have been alienated from the party, and he does not want to hold the government alone responsible for it.

"The causes of such alienation lie in the political sphere and also in the organisational shortcomings and weaknesses of the party. The steps that are being taken to overcome the shortcomings and reforge the links with the people are, therefore, to be taken up in the three spheres — governmental, political and organisational, which are interlinked," Karat wrote.

According to sources, controversies exist regarding the reasons behind the setback for the Left regime in Bengal. A section of the party's leaders in Bengal, including Chief Minister Buddhadeb Bhattacharjee, have been insisting that withdrawal of support

from the UPA government in 2008 was the principal cause behind the current disaster.

"Despite its enormous achievements, the LF government also engendered some negative features. It is a part of the basic understanding of the party that running the state government is not the exercise of state power. The bureaucracy, the police and other institutions of the state have not been touched by any basic changes. Working in such a system, in government, has its effects on the party and its organisation," Karat wrote.

Left Front in Bengal under siege: Yechury