Left parties seek Bengal govt's intervention against Trinamool 'attacks'

NEW DELHI: Four Left parties – CPM, CPI, Forward Bloc and Revolutionary Socialist Party – brought the issue of violent attack by Trinamool Congress supporters on their leaders and activists in West Bengal to the Capital and demanded that the state government should intervene immediately.

CPM general secretary Prakash Karat said so far 24 Left workers have been killed since the election results were declared. He said attack against the Left supporters is motivated and geared towards undoing the land reforms carried out by Left Front government. He said nearly 40,000 Left activists have been thrown out of villages. Karat said it should not be forgotten that despite all odds, the Left has polled nearly two crore votes in Bengal.

CPI general secretary A B Bardhan said the attack on Left is happening on all fronts. Panchayat heads, university unions and pro-left farmers are being attacked. He said during the Left Front's 34-year rule there were many panchayats and zilla parishads under Trinamool but never were they forced to resign or attacked. "This is not democratic," he said, reminding that Trinamool it is the second largest ally of the most corrupt government at the Centre.

Forward Block general secretary Debabrata Biswas said Left leaders should highlight the attack throughout the country and travel in Bengal.

The meeting passed a resolution condemning killing of Left cadres, ransacking Left parties' offices and trade unions. "Goondas belonging to the Trinamool Congress and their allies the Maoists and Congress are squarely responsible for these attacks and terror," the resolution said, requesting all democratic-minded sections of the people to raise their voice for defence of democratic rights in Bengal.