Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose’s nephew and All India Forward Bloc MP from Barasat Subrata Bose, who has opted out of the Lok Sabha polls this time, today deplored the conduct of the Left parties in Parliament, saying “people may be wanting for a change as the Left has failed to reach them”.

In an interview to The Indian Express, Bose said the poor performance of the Left in Parliament was one of the reasons for him opting out of the poll.

Bose, however, said he remained with his party. “The proceedings inside Parliament for most part of the recently concluded term were marked by negative approach of the Left parties. I was disappointed with their role in Parliament. So, I decided not to contest,” said Bose, adding he had communicated his decision not to contest the polls before the list of candidates was prepared. He said he had also conveyed the reasons for his decision to his party chief Ashok Ghosh.

After Bose pulled out of the fray, the Forward Bloc decided to field Sudhin Chatterjee, who is close to the CPM, from Barasat.

“In a democratic set-up, there are various customs that are followed inside Parliament. The manner in which we tried to oust the government at the Centre, and thereafter stalled the proceedings of the House on numerous occasions is personally unacceptable to me. Outside Parliament, we can of course fight in various manners but there should be decorum inside the House even if one is protesting. The Left parties have forgotten their tradition,” said Bose, a veteran Left leader who was a member of the state Assembly before he went to become a Lok Sabha member.

“Last time, when I accepted the nominations for Lok Sabha, I hoped I could work for the people. But I am sorry to say I could not. None of the important bills were discussed in the House. I could not share my views. For instance, the Women’s Reservation Bill was not even discussed, leave alone being passed. How many women representatives do we have there? The number can be counted just like that,” said Bose.

Critising the conduct of Left MPs in Parliament, he said, “Stalling debates on important bills were inappropriate. Blocking the passages, running to the well and shouting were not proper. Various important laws were passed without discussion.”

Regarding the political scenario in Bengal, Bose said: “People seem to be wanting a change. The Left parties have failed to reach the people. We have been ruling Bengal for 31 years. People want a change now. There is an anti-incumbency factor working. This is normal and natural.”

Bose said the Nandigram incidents have left a severe negative effect on people’s minds.