Pranab expresses concern over recovery of huge illegal arms

KULI: Union Finance minister and senior Congress leader Pranab Mukherjee today voiced concern over the recovery of huge quantities of illegal arms from some parts of West Bengal and said it should have been recovered earlier.

"It is a matter of serious concern that huge quantities of illegal arms are being recovered just after the announcement of Assembly election results," Mukherjee told reporters on the sidelines of State Bank of India's 1001 branch inauguration ceremony under Bengal circle here in Murshidabad district.

"The arms should have been recovered earlier," the senior Congress leader.

With a view to expand financial inclusion in rural areas the Union Finance minister said all round development could only be achieved if the rural people were brought under the banking network.

Yesterday, police recovered a cache of illegal arms and ammunition and arrested seven CPI(M) activists in separate incidents in West Midnapore district while last week a huge cache of arms was recovered by police near a CPI-M party office at Enayatpur.