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Thursday, Mar 15, 2007
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Invoke Article 356 : Trinamool

Special Correspondent

Chief Minister should quit, Prime Minister should intervene, says Mamata Banerjee

— Photo: By special arrangement

CONCERN FOR VICTIMS: Trinamool Congress leader Mamata Banerjee consoles an injured farmer at Tamluk Sub-Divisional Hospital on Wednesday.

KOLKATA: Both the Trinamool Congress and the State leadership of the Congress here demanded the invoking of Article 356 (President's rule) in West Bengal where "there has been a total breakdown in law and order".

Trinamool Congress leader Mamata Banerjee described the violence at Nandigram in Purbo Medinipur district earlier on Wednesday as a "massacre." "The Chief Minister must resign and his Government must be sacked immediately," she demanded. "State-sponsored terrorism is more dangerous than cross-border terrorism," she said.

In a letter to Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, she has sought "his urgent intervention to end the genocide in Nandigram."

Ms. Banerjee claimed that the bodies of many of the victims of the violence at Nandigram "have been thrown into the river." "According to reports reaching me more than 20 persons, mainly women and children have died and more than 200 have sustained bullet injuries," she added.

The violence at Nandigram had been "unleashed by cadres of the Communist Party of India (Marxist) who were dressed as policemen," the Trinamool Congress leader claimed. "The Chief Minister had announced that land would not be acquired there for the proposed Special Economic Zone. If that is really so why resort to such killing of innocent people," Ms. Banerjee asked, adding that she was "appealing to all the saner elements in the Left Front to stand up against the Chief Minister."

A senior leader of her party alleged later that Ms. Banerjee who was headed towards Nandigram was prevented from proceeding towards the area by CPI(M) supporters.

"The violence can only be equated with the Jalianwalla massacre. It's a planned killing under the leadership of Buddhadeb Bhattacharjee", Manas Bhuniya, senior leader of the Congress said.

The State Congress leadership has brought the matter to the notice of party president Sonia Gandhi the Prime Minister and Union Home Minister, Dr. Bhuniya added.

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