Bengal Left demands polls to twin civic bodies

Claiming that the West Bengal's ruling Trinamool Congress was "afraid", the Left Front on Friday demanded that the civic polls for the reconstituted Asansol Municipal Corporation and the newly-constituted Bidhannagar civic body be held on October 3.

Expressing alarm over the galloping power tariff, Left Front chairman Biman Bose also called upon to build a statewide peoples' movement to rein in the hike.

"While the panchayat by-elections have been notified and will be held October 3, there is complete silence as to the fate of the Asansol and Bidhannagar municipal corporations. It is evident that the ruling Trinamool is afraid and doesn't want the polls be held," Bose told media persons after a meeting of the Front here.

"Why can't the polls to these bodies be held on October 3, there is enough time left for all the formalities to be completed. The term of all the local civic bodies in these two municipal corporations expired and are being illegally run by the Trinamool," said Bose adding that the Front may seek legal recourse if needed.

A Front delegation on Thursday submitted a memorandum to the State Election Commission, demanding the polls to the twin bodies be held on Oct 3.

Claiming that the power tariff has been hiked both in the city and the districts at a galloping rate, Bose said only a massive public movement can rein the hike.

"Since 2011 when the Trinamool government came to power, the hike in city and adjoining areas which come under the CESC, has been over 61 percent while the areas under the state electricity board, the hike has been over 43 percent," he said.

"Unless and until, there is a mass movement, the hike in power tariff cannot be reined in. While the Kolkata Left Front will stage a two-day demonstration, we are endeavouring to build similar agitations across all the districts by this month," added Bose.

"Besides the issue of power tariff, the Front will also stage demonstrations against the way the Trinamool government has been implementing the Food Security Act. Acting in a partial and prejudiced way, this government has been depriving lakhs of poor from getting benefits of the food security law," he said.