Trinamool Congress party chief and Indian Railway Minister Mamata Banerjee addresses her supporters during a public meeting in Calcutta.( AP File Photo)
Kolkata, January 8 (Agencies): Politics of the macabre bared its ugly face in West Bengal on Friday - railway minister Mamata Banerjee crippled Kolkata with her signature ‘body politics’ even as six persons fell to bullets in volatile Lalgarh.
Mamata marched to the anti-CPM beat with the bodies of three Trinamool supporters, allegedly killed by CPM workers in Burdwan a day ago. Just two weeks ago Mamata had paraded the body of Sanatan Hembram, killed allegedly by CPM cadre near Lalgarh. Though she said he had been a Trinamool supporter, Hembram’s family refuted the claim. On a restive day, six people were killed and over 20 others injured in a political clash at Netai Village in Lalgarh.
With political clashes being the order of the day in the state in the run-up to the assembly polls, Mamata did her best to whip up passion among people, with the rally and lambasted the ruling CPM for the violence.
Mamata said, “They (CPM) claim we are doing politics with dead bodies. But they are doing the politics of killing and terror. Let them stop it, we will also not parade bodies.” Trinamool Congress MP Subhendu Adhikari alleged that CPM cadre fired indiscriminately on the villagers when they surrounded a camp of the armed men on Friday morning. “CPM cadre have been demanding that the village youth undergo arms training and women cook for them,” Subhendu alleged and added that when the villagers were protesting these demands, the cadre opened fire.
Making similar allegations, the villagers said the shooting took place as they refused to undergo arms training. Mamata rushed to West Midnapur and visited the injured. She pointed out that chief minister Buddhadeb Bhattacharjee had taken exception to the word harmad (hired killers) used by Union home minister P. Chidambaram to refer to the armed cadre. “But those who are resorting to such killings cannot be called anything else but harmads,” she said.
Rubbishing the allegation, CPM leader Sushanta Ghosh said Trinamool leaders engineered the violence with the help of Maoists as several villagers, who had earlier been Trinamool supporters, recently attended a meeting of the communist party. The state administration has termed Friday’s incident “a case of political violence”.
Mamata marched to the anti-CPM beat with the bodies of three Trinamool supporters, allegedly killed by CPM workers in Burdwan a day ago. Just two weeks ago Mamata had paraded the body of Sanatan Hembram, killed allegedly by CPM cadre near Lalgarh. Though she said he had been a Trinamool supporter, Hembram’s family refuted the claim. On a restive day, six people were killed and over 20 others injured in a political clash at Netai Village in Lalgarh.
With political clashes being the order of the day in the state in the run-up to the assembly polls, Mamata did her best to whip up passion among people, with the rally and lambasted the ruling CPM for the violence.
Mamata said, “They (CPM) claim we are doing politics with dead bodies. But they are doing the politics of killing and terror. Let them stop it, we will also not parade bodies.” Trinamool Congress MP Subhendu Adhikari alleged that CPM cadre fired indiscriminately on the villagers when they surrounded a camp of the armed men on Friday morning. “CPM cadre have been demanding that the village youth undergo arms training and women cook for them,” Subhendu alleged and added that when the villagers were protesting these demands, the cadre opened fire.
Making similar allegations, the villagers said the shooting took place as they refused to undergo arms training. Mamata rushed to West Midnapur and visited the injured. She pointed out that chief minister Buddhadeb Bhattacharjee had taken exception to the word harmad (hired killers) used by Union home minister P. Chidambaram to refer to the armed cadre. “But those who are resorting to such killings cannot be called anything else but harmads,” she said.
Rubbishing the allegation, CPM leader Sushanta Ghosh said Trinamool leaders engineered the violence with the help of Maoists as several villagers, who had earlier been Trinamool supporters, recently attended a meeting of the communist party. The state administration has termed Friday’s incident “a case of political violence”.
Buddha snubs PC on Delhi visit
KOLKATA, January 8 (PTI): West Bengal chief minister Buddhadeb Bhattacharya has no immediate plan to visit Delhi following Union Home Minister P Chidambaram’s letter to him after the violence in Lalgarh. Confirming receipt of Chidambaram’s letter which urged Bhattacharjee to visit Delhi immediately rescheduling all programmes, the chief minister’s office said “he has no immediate plan to go to Delhi at least in a day or two.” It said the chief minister had gone to Canning in South 24 Parganas district on Saturday to inaugurate a bridge over the Matla river. “We have no idea if the chief minister has replied to Chidambaram’s letter,” CPI(M) sources said.
Lalgarh violence should not have happened: Buddhadeb
Canning, WB, January 8 (PTI): West Bengal Chief Minister Buddhadeb Bhattacharjee today strongly disapproved of the firing in Lalgarh, allegedly by CPI (M) cadres, saying it should not have happened and asked all political parties to exercise restraint. “What happened in West Midnapore yesterday was not good. If should not have happened. Killings and bloodshed must stop otherwise all development work will come to a halt. All political parties should observe restraint,” the chief minister said while inaugurating a bridge over a river. “We don’t want violence. We don’t want people to be killed. We will not allow killings. Killings must stop,” he said. Bhattacharjee said the state government wanted jobs for the poor and peace. “We want development work for those still living in darkness and in tears. Violence will destroy everything.” The Chief Minister’s remarks came a day after West Bengal Governor M K Narayanan denounced the Lalgarh incident saying it was a “day of shame and sorrow” for the state and asked the state government to act before it reaches the “point of no return”.
KOLKATA, January 8 (PTI): West Bengal chief minister Buddhadeb Bhattacharya has no immediate plan to visit Delhi following Union Home Minister P Chidambaram’s letter to him after the violence in Lalgarh. Confirming receipt of Chidambaram’s letter which urged Bhattacharjee to visit Delhi immediately rescheduling all programmes, the chief minister’s office said “he has no immediate plan to go to Delhi at least in a day or two.” It said the chief minister had gone to Canning in South 24 Parganas district on Saturday to inaugurate a bridge over the Matla river. “We have no idea if the chief minister has replied to Chidambaram’s letter,” CPI(M) sources said.
Lalgarh violence should not have happened: Buddhadeb
Canning, WB, January 8 (PTI): West Bengal Chief Minister Buddhadeb Bhattacharjee today strongly disapproved of the firing in Lalgarh, allegedly by CPI (M) cadres, saying it should not have happened and asked all political parties to exercise restraint. “What happened in West Midnapore yesterday was not good. If should not have happened. Killings and bloodshed must stop otherwise all development work will come to a halt. All political parties should observe restraint,” the chief minister said while inaugurating a bridge over a river. “We don’t want violence. We don’t want people to be killed. We will not allow killings. Killings must stop,” he said. Bhattacharjee said the state government wanted jobs for the poor and peace. “We want development work for those still living in darkness and in tears. Violence will destroy everything.” The Chief Minister’s remarks came a day after West Bengal Governor M K Narayanan denounced the Lalgarh incident saying it was a “day of shame and sorrow” for the state and asked the state government to act before it reaches the “point of no return”.
