The Hindu : National : Bardhan blames West Bengal government for Lalgarh violence

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Monday, Jun 29, 2009
ePaper | Mobile/PDA Version

National

National

Bardhan blames West Bengal government for Lalgarh violence

NEW DELHI: Criticising the Communist Party of India (Marxist) for the Maoist violence in Lalgarh, CPI general secretary A.B. Bardhan has blamed the Left Front government in West Bengal for failing to do anything for the masses, especially tribals, after the agrarian reforms.

Mr. Bardhan said his party was not consulted on administration, describing this attitude as one of the “failings” of the CPI (M)-led government, which he said was run like a single-party dispensation. “Incompetence is a very harsh word. But I must say an element of neglect...an element of not undertaking the actual work they should have done, especially in areas inhabited by the tribal people. There is a need for paying special attention to the tribal people…,” Mr. Bardhan said.

Though the Left Front government had undertaken agrarian reforms, it did not do more, he said. “About 75 per cent of the tribal people are beneficiaries of the agrarian reforms. Beyond that, you have to do something more.”

“They neglected it. Yes, I will say so...particularly it has been aggravated in the last 10 years,” Mr. Bardhan told Karan Thapar on the Devil’s Advocate show on CNN-IBN, answering a question whether the government’s “incompetence” was behind the Lalgarh violence. Asked why he did not talk up to the government, he said: “No. At that time, there was no question of my giving any advice. In fact, the government was being run as a one-party government, more or less.”

He also attributed the Trinamool Congress’s success in the elections to the “failings” of the government.

He alleged that Trinamool leader Mamata Banerjee was willing to join hands with the Maoists, and the Maoists were willing to help her.

Mr. Bardhan called for some corrective measures. “There has to be a post-mortem, and there has to be a cure.” — PTI

Printer friendly page
Send this article to Friends by E-Mail

National