Thaindian News

Kolkata, Dec 18 (IANS) In the aftermath of the AMRI Hospital fire here, parties across the political spectrum in West Bengal had put up a united face, but in less than a week the hooch tragedy in a village triggered cat fights between the old archrivals - the ruling Trinamool Congress and the opposition Left Front.

The deaths of 264 people in the twin incidents raised serious questions about the seven- month-old administration of Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee.

Under flak from both opposition parties and locals for administrative slackness, especially the sluggishness of the health department, state Industries Minister Partha Chatterjee pronounced the Marxists and its supporters as the main culprits behind the hooch catastrophe in Magrahat Block of South 24 Parganas district.

“Members of the CPI-M are behind it. They have hatched the plot and carried out this heinous crime of mixing chemicals in the liquor to kill people. They want to embarrass the government,” Chatterjee said.

The Left Front was quick to react and challenged the government to prove that the Communist Party of India-Marxist (CPI-M) was behind it.

“If they have honesty, then let them prove it. They are running the government. Earlier also they had made such allegations,” leader of opposition Surya Kanta Mishra said.

Unlike the Dec 9 hospital inferno, in which 93 people died and where the swiftness of Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee was lauded across political lines, the hooch tragedy has raised serious questions about the administrative capabilities of Trinamool.

While the six directors of the AMRI Hospital were arrested on the day of the fire, in the hooch tragedy the main accused - Khora Badshah - is still on the run. It is alleged the reason behind the indolence on the part of the police and administration is due to the political affiliation of Badshah, who is allegedly close to Trinamool.

Banerjee has ordered a Criminal Investigation Department probe into the liquor deaths in Sangrampur, barely 50 km from capital Kolkata. She said 10 people have been arrested for the incident.

A manhunt has also been launched for the prime suspects - Kalu Siraj, Badshah and Bakka, all known bootleggers.

Most of the over 170 victims were from the poorest sections of society - masons, wage labourers and hawkers - who sat in shanties on Dec 13 night to drink after a hard day’s work.

The hooch tragedy has also brought up an irony. Trinamool, during its days in opposition, had time and again accused the then Left Front government of promoting the hooch industry in the state and promised to curb it if it came to power.

But clearly things have not changed much on this front even though Trinamool has been in the saddle since May.

(Pradipta Tapadar can be contacted at pradipta.t@ians.in)