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Mamata criticises Left for ‘clinging to power'

KOLKATA: Buoyed by Union Home Minister P. Chidambaram's statement about the presence of camps housing armed cadres in the Jangalmahal region (south western forest areas) of West Bengal, Trinamool Congress chief Mamata Banerjee criticised on Wednesday the ruling Left Front Government for “shamelessly clinging on to power” even as both Mr. Chidambaram and the State's Governor M.K. Narayanan had admitted to the presence of armed cadres in the region.

Addressing a rally organised by the Trinamool Congress here, Ms. Banerjee said: “The Governor has reported about the presence of camps set up by armed Communist Party of India (Marxist) cadres and today the Union Home Minister too said so. While the Centre is doing its job by conducting security operations, I want to ask who has authorised the CPI(M) cadres to set up camps and carry arms in the region. It has broken the rules of the constitution by doing so.”

Rubbishing claims of her political opponents that her party is tacitly supporting the Maoists, she pointed out that Trinamool Congress does not have a single MP or MLA from the three Maoist-affected districts while the CPI(M) enjoys a “monopoly” in this regard.

“Mercenaries are being hired by the CPI(M) and Rs. one lakh is paid after each murder. The cadres are being assisted by a section of the police in the name of joint operations. The cadres even wear police uniform during their raids on the villages, like they had done in Nandigram,” Ms. Banerjee asserted.

Reiterating her demand for seizure of illegal arms, she once more alleged that the CPI(M) was behind the May 28 Jnaneswari Express derailment as well as the collision of two trains at Sainthia on July 19.

“Do you think that causing sabotages would show Mamata Banerjee in a poor light? Either you or your younger brother staged the Jnaneswari Express derailment that killed 150 persons. Why are you so afraid of a CBI inquiry into the Sainthia accident case?” Ms. Banerjee asked of the CPI(M).

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