Communist Party of India (Marxist) general secretary Prakash Karat on Friday warned the Trinamool Congress government that if the attacks on political opponents continued with “impunity” in West Bengal, his party would take it up at the national level.
Addressing a press conference here, he said that in recent days there had been increased attacks on the leaders of the CPI(M), Left Front and other Opposition parties. CPI(M) leader and former Minister Abdur Razzak Molla was set upon and beaten up. He suffered injuries and the MRI scan showed that he had a fracture in the spinal cord. The police did not arrest the assailants, he said.
The state of affairs was such that those injured in the attacks were not being admitted to government hospitals and being turned away, he said. “This is unheard of.”
The CPI(M) leader said more than 85 comrades were killed since the May 2011 elections but the people were turning up in large numbers at protest programmes. If the attacks continued, the CPI(M) would take up the matter nationally and see that the Trinamool government abided by the rule of law. Observing that the State government should be held accountable, he said West Bengal Governor M.K. Narayanan had expressed his concern about “goondaism.”
Asked if he agreed with the Governor’s views, Mr. Karat said: “He has objectively stated the state of affairs.”
Cash transfer scheme
Referring to the cash transfer scheme, he said his party was against applying it on subsidised programmes for foodgrains, fertilizers, cooking gas and kerosene. It would lead to dismantling of the public distribution system. The CPI(M) would also not accept linkage of cash transfer scheme to Aadhar.
Mr. Karat said the CPI(M) had submitted its proposals to the Justice Verma Committee on amending the laws relating to rape. He wanted the government to introduce measures for expediting the trials and for ensuring that the charge-sheet was filed within 30 days of the incident. All such cases should be disposed within 30 days of filing the charge-sheet.
