Thaindian News

Kolkata, Aug 12 (IANS) A day after the arrest of senior Marxist leader Sushanta Ghosh, former West Bengal chief minister Buddhadeb Bhattacharjee Friday lashed out against the Trinamool Congress-led government saying it was resorting to political vendetta.

“This government has started a politics of vengeance. They are setting up commissions on incidents which happened 40 years back. Our leader Sushanta Ghosh has been arrested in a ten year old case,” Bhattacharjee said at a rally held by the opposition Left Front protesting against alleged atrocities on their supporters.

“Is this how a government should function? How long will such politics of vendetta go on? Already 30 of our activists have been killed during the short rule of this government.”

Ghosh was arrested over the recovery of a skeleton from near his residence in West Midnapore district.

Ghosh, who was minister in the Left Front government for over two decades, was sent to the Criminal Investigation Department (CID) custody for seven days after his anticipatory bail was cancelled by the chief judicial magistrate’s court.

Bhattacharjee said his government never arrested any opposition leader though the Trinamool Congress ransacked the assembly, damaged railway station, attacked offices, police stations and even slapped police officers.

“We never walked this path. We had faith in the people. We believed they would take note of everything. But I did not arrest any leader. But they are doing such things soon after coming to power,” he said.

Bhattacharjee asked the government to mend its ways and stop torturing and killing left activists and filing of false cases against the leaders, “Otherwise all out workers and supporters will have to prepare themselves to find their own path”.

Bhattacharjee alleged that the Maoists had reorganised themselves in the two months since the Trinamool government came to power.

“They have made progress in areas like Lalgarh, Salboni, Nayagram, Gopiballabhpur and Goaltore of west Midnapore district. They have set up their bases everywhere. Will this government act against them? Or will they act only against us?”

Bhattacharjee claimed the government was pushing the state towards doom and appealed to it to understand the danger posed by the left wing ultras.

A delegation of Left Front also went to Governor M.K. Narayanan and urged him to take immediate remedial measures for restoration of peace and normalcy.

In the assembly, leader of the opposition Surjya Kanta Mishra demanded the House be adjourned to discuss the “reign of terror established by the Trinamool Congress”.

Later, slogan shouting LF members squatted in the well of the House before staging a noisy walkout.