Kolkata, Dec 16 (IANS) A day after Railway Minister Mamata Banerjee rapped the Left parties for blocking rail tracks frequently, West Bengal’s ruling Left Front (LF) Wednesday called for an all-party meeting to evolve a consensus on stopping road and rail blockades.
“The railway minister should convene an all-party meeting and take a call on the issue. But it should not be restricted to railways’ track blockade programmes only. The norms should be applicable to all parties for any road or railway blockade agitations,” LF chairman Biman Bose told reporters here.

“If such a meeting is called, the Left parties will participate in that. We’ll extend our cooperation so that a unanimous decision can be arrived at on the issue,” Bose said.

All political parties should arrive at a consensus not to carry out such agitations anywhere in the country, he said.

The LF partners also decided to intensify protests against political violence in the state.

Bose announced that the LF will hold a mass rally Feb 7 to protest food price inflation, hike in prices of essential commodities and growing political violence across the state.

“The state LF has taken a decision to hold a mass rally protesting these burning issues besides carrying on with the ongoing protest programmes across the state.”

“The rally will be staged in Kolkata’s Brigade Parade ground,” he said.