Thursday, November 1, 2007

CPM desperate to recapture Nandigram

Shyam Sundar Roy

MIDNAPORE, Oct. 30: The CPI-M is desperate to recapture Nandigram in anticipation of a snap poll in the Lok Sabha. On 26 October, Mr Lakshman Seth, the party MP from Tamluk, expressed his worries at a party rally held there for being denied entry into Nandigram for the
past 10 months. The party activists were ousted by the Bhumi Uchhed Pratirodh Committee (BUPC) over plans to acquire farmland for a chemical hub.

"The Opposition," he thundered, "thinks that they would win the seat in the Lok Sabha election by preventing the Marxist loyalists from voting in Nandigram Assembly segment." "But this design of the BUPC cannot be tolerated any more. We have to step up our battle to foil that. There are cries and bloodshed to bring about a change," he said.

It was reported that hours after his instigation of the party cadres, the CPI-M sent gunmen, on 27 October, to launch an attack in Ranichowak, Satengabari, Kamalpur and several adjoining villages in Nandigram.

One of the BUPC activists fell to CPI-M's bullets, and several others including two school boys sustained bullet injuries and are being treated at SSKM hospital in Kolkata. One of the injured school boys, 12-year-old Bulu Mir, is feared to suffer permanent loss of eyesight. By hiring armed musclemen the CPI-M aims to re-establish "Red rule" in Nandigram. They succeeded in ousting the Opposition forces in a similar manner in Kespur and Garbeta in West Midnapore.

It has been alleged that the police aided the CPI-(M) in this Opposition-cleansing operation in West Midnapore. It has been learnt from reliable sources that some of these police officials are likely to be posted in Midnapore- East to do a similar operation for the governmen on the pretext of restoring peace in trouble-scarred Nandigram.

Meanwhile, the left front leaders have blamed Mr Lakshman Seth for instigating the party cadres to create turmoil in Nandigram and have
demanded action against him.

http://www.thestatesman.net

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