Stating that the number of those who have been killed in political violence in the State over the past year has been “unusually high,” West Bengal Governor M.K. Narayanan said in his Republic Day address on Wednesday that a concerned State government was “seeking a political consensus” to end this, besides taking measures to “seize illegal firearms.”
On the increasing clashes between “different political entities,” Mr. Narayanan said: “The State government is concerned over this development and is seeking a political consensus at one level to end such violence, and on the other, taking stern law and order measures to reduce the number of clashes and secure and seize illegal firearms.”
The Governor's remarks come a week after Chief Minister Buddhadeb Bhattacharjee asserted after a meeting with Union Home Minister P. Chidambaram in New Delhi that his government was bent on taking action against all armed groups operating in the State.
Mr. Bhattacharjee also regretted on previous occasions that the main Opposition party, the Trinamool Congress, had been refusing to sit for discussions with other parties to look for ways to arrive at a consensus on how to check inter-party clashes.
‘Principal challenge'
Mr. Narayanan said left-wing extremism remained the “principal challenge and the major preoccupation of law and order forces in the State.”
He regretted, however, that “despite the presence of substantial numbers of central paramilitary forces and the gains made by the joint forces in some areas, including Jangal Mahal, Maoist violence could not be effectively checked” in the course of the past year.
“Maoist elements have spread to some newer areas, even as the intensity of violence in the Jangal Mahal area has come down to some extent,” Mr. Narayanan said.
He said the economic situation was “relatively better” with a growth rate of 8.73 per cent during 2009-2010. The rate of growth in the agriculture sector during the last fiscal was 4.5 per cent, “which is higher than the average for the country as a whole.”
Mr. Narayanan complimented the government for taking steps to strengthen the industrial sector, adding that private, public and joint sector involvement was “an intrinsic part of this growth strategy.”
Education for minorities
He said special attention had been given to increase education opportunities for minorities, Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes, and Other Backward Classes (OBCs).
The Governor had a special word for the measures taken to improve and ameliorate the condition of the Scheduled Castes, Scheduled Tribes, and the OBCs.
“Reservation of OBCs has been increased from 7 to 17 per cent, and of this, 10 per cent has been reserved for the more backward classes,” he said.
