Buddhadeb guns for Mamata on Bengal law and order

Kolkata, Nov 24 (IANS) Targeting West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee, senior CPI−M leader Buddhadeb Bhattacharjee Saturday alleged that anti−socials in the state were emboldened after receiving a “message” from the state secretariat that it is their government.

“Anti−socials feel this is our men’s government. So far, no message has gone out to them to the contrary. From where have they got the message? This message has come from the Writers’ Buildings (the state secretariat),” former chief minister Bhattacharjee said at a Communist Party of India−Marxist (CPI−M) programme near here.

“Recollect the reaction from the Writers’ during the Park Street, Katwa and Barasat (rape) incidents. The significance of the message is both can co−exist,” Bhattacharjee said.

When each of these incidents came into the public domain earlier this year, Banerjee had called the allegations “staged” and intended to malign her government.

With the collapse of law and order, the state had slipped into “anarchy”, said Bhattacharjee.

“We now see a regressive trend in the state.”

“The overall situation is that of an anarchy and a regressive trend is being witnessed in the state,” Bhattacharjee said, while addressing a general body meeting of the CPI−M in Dum Dum of neighbouring North 24−Parganas district.

Accusing the government of playing the communal card, the CPI−M politburo member said the “communal” BJP has strengthened because of that.

Bhattacharjee toldd party members to reach out to the Muslims and ask whether they have got anything during the 18 months of the new government.

The leader said the state had not made any progress either in agriculture or industry under the new dispensation.

“Farmers are committing suicide. But the government is in a denial mode. We never imagined that the structure we had created involving paddy procurement, paddy sales, ensuring remunerative prices for the farmers − all will collapse in a year.”

Dubbing the Banerjee government as “inhuman”, he said it has not paid the salaries and pensions of the state−run transport corporations’ workers, but hiked emoluments of the ministers manifold.

IANS 2012-11-24 22:46:08