Violence is not a movement, says former Lok Sabha Speaker Somnath Chatterjee

By Madhuparna Das

KOLKATA: A day ahead of the Left trade unions' strike on September 2, former Lok Sabha Speaker and communist leader, Somnath Chatterjee said he disapproves of violence in the name of movement. He added that the violence triggered by a clash between the cadres of CPM's peasant wing and the police on August 27 was a 'provoked response' to the police action.

"I do not approve of violence. I never did. But violence on August 27, was a provoked response. They were holding a peaceful rally and wanted to submit a memorandum to the chief minister. There was no aggression till the police intervened and resorted to lathicharge," Chatterjee told ET.

He held chief minister Mamata Banerjee responsible for the clash that left at least 160 CPM partymen including Left Front chairman Biman Bose injured."We saw the Left cadres did not provoke the police. They were only trying to complete the programme. But the chief minister wants to destroy all opposition. That is not possible in a democracy," Somnath said.

CPM's show of strength on August 27 was perhaps indicative of things to come. On September 2, the party leaders will leave no stone unturned to reap advantage of the strike called by 17 Left trade unions including some pro-Naxalite outfits.