West Bengal a killing field under CPI-M: Chidambaram
April 25th, 2011 - 4:38 pm ICT by ANI
Kolkata, Apr 25 (ANI): Union Home Minister P. Chidambaram on Monday lashed out at the ruling Communist Party of India-Marxist (CPI-M) in West Bengal for turning the state into a ‘killing field’.
“For too long we have had a government in West Bengal that has neglected governance. West Bengal is amongst the worst governed states in the country,” Chidambaram told reporters here.
“My immediate concerns are of course law and order. For the last two years and four months I have repeatedly brought to the notice of the Chief Minister of West Bengal and his colleagues, the situation on the law and order front is extremely bad,” he said.
Speaking on Maoist killings, Chidambaram said police action and development must go hand-in-hand.
“Our position is police action and development must go hand-in-hand. I have said that, I think, in the last two and a half years at least a hundred times. At every Chief Ministers conference I have made it clear,” he said.
“The integrated action plan, which is now in progress, where we gave 25 crores per district to 60 selected districts last year and we are giving 30 crore per district to selected districts this year, clearly underscores our approach. We must have development; we must also take police action, whenever and wherever the naxalites indulge in violence,” he added.
Chidambaram said that only a new government with new policies can improve the law and order in the state and stop killings.
“I sincerely hope that after the change of government, the central and state government will be able to work together. On behalf of the government of India, I promise that we will work with the new government to restore law and order in West Bengal and to stop the killings,” he added.
On the question of officers alleging that Gujarat Chief Minister Narendra Modi instigated riots, Chidambaram said that these allegations were in the air for quite some time.
He, however, added that only after proper investigation, the truth would come out.
On the Wikileaks expose, Chidambaram reiterated that he does not want to dignify the cable and reject them outrightly as they are not agreed minutes of any meeting.
“I do not wish to dignify the Wikileaks cables,” he told reporters when asked about Left Front chairman Biman Bose’s allegation quoting U.S. cables that Washington wished to cultivate Trinamool Congress as it could come to power in West Bengal. (ANI)
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