In a vitriolic attack against West Bengal Chief Minister Buddhadeb Bhattacharjee and his government's handling of the Maoist problem, Union Home Minister P. Chidambaram on Monday said he would have “expected” Mr. Bhattacharjee to resign “and make way for someone who could deal with the situation” at the time when he had conceded “that the law and order in a district [Paschim Medinipur] was beyond the control of a [his] State government.”
Mr. Chidambaram was recalling a time when Maoists got the upper hand in parts of Paschim Medinipur district because of the absence of development, for which he held the Communist Party of India (Marxist) “squarely responsible.”
“The Chief Minister [then] told me that the situation was beyond his control and beyond the control of his government… What a shame. I have never come across a Chief Minister candidly admitting that the law and order [situation] in a district was beyond the control of a State government,” Mr. Chidambaram said at an election rally at Garbeta in Paschim Medinipur district.
He asked the congregation: “How long are you going to be caught between the Marxist party on the one side and the CPI (Maoist) on the other? Let me caution you that both of them may pretend to be against each other, but please remember that both of them come from the same ideology — the ideology that is ruling West Bengal for 34 years.”
On the current situation in the State, he said, “It will take some time to get the upper hand over the CPI (Maoist)… If they give up violence and if they are prepared for talks, we are prepared for talks.” But even if that were so, he said that “on the other side is the CPI(M)… Please remember that it is in your hands, in your power to defeat them on May 10 [when the region goes to the polls].”
“People say that the CPI (Maoist) gained strength because there was no development in the area. People say that it was because of the atrocities committed by the CPI(M) that the people had no choice but to support Maoists… The responsibility for the CPI (Maoist) claiming the upper hand lies squarely in the hands of the CPI(M),” Mr. Chidambaram alleged.
And yet, “after 34 years of ruling the State and leaving this part of it completely neglected, the CPI(M) does not come to you with folded hands and say ‘I am sorry, please elect a new government.' They should have said that,” he added.
‘CPI(M) violence'
Alleging that it was not the Central police forces or the State police, but “cadres of the Marxist party who have the guns and are threatening you,” Mr. Chidambaram said he had repeatedly drawn Mr. Bhattacharjee's attention to such occurrences.
“Mr. Chief Minister, your party cadres are getting weapons and creating violence in the area. Please take action,” is what the Home Minister claims to have told Mr. Bhattacharjee.
“I gave him a map with places where armed camps were being run, gave him the names of the leaders; yet the Chief Minister said no,” maintaining that it was not true.
