Security reasons hold up rally in Lalgarh, Jangalmahal

KOLKATA: West Bengal chief minister Buddhadeb Bhattacharjee told the state assembly on Thursday that no political party was being allowed to hold meetings in Lalgarh and Jangalmahal due to security reasons. “But political parties are free to hold rallies in these areas by obtaining prior permission from the district administration,” he told the House during the question-answer session.

The Congress Legislative Party (CLP) leader Manas Bhunia complained in the House that CPM had been holding meetings in Lalgarh and Jangalmahal, but not allowing other political parties to hold any meeting or rally.

Refuting Mr Bhunia’s complain, the chief minister told the House that there was no bar on the political parties to hold rallies in these areas. “But the district administration is not allowing political parties to hold meetings in these regions for the sake of security of the political party leaders,” Mr Bhattacharjee said.

Replying questions, Mr Bhattacharjee said: “even though we have not yet been able to stop killings and murders in Lalgarh and Jangalmahal, the joint forces have managed to confine the Maoist activities in certain pockets and prevent them from spreading their network in other pockets of Jangalmahal. Also, the joint forces are now going for counter attacks to retaliate the Maoists. We have also managed to establish area domination in many Maoist-infested areas.”

According to Mr Bhattacharjee, the joint forces had also managed to carry out two or three major operations against the Maoists and arrest some of their top leaders.

The chief minister informed that altogether 379 persons in 28 police stations under the three Maoist-controlled districts of West Midnapore, Purulia and Bankura were arrested this year against 445 arrests which took place in the previous year. He claimed that none of these arrests were made without any specific charges.

Mr Bhattacharjee also ruled out the Congress MLA Debaprasad Roy’s proposition to deploy some key NGOs in Jangalmahal to tackle the Maoists. “The NGOs are not alternative to political forces. I don’t have any disrespects for the NGOs. But I feel political parties and the government are capable of combating the Maoists,” the chief minister told Mr Roy.