Bengal rural polls a battle for development: Trinamool

Trinamool Congress Secretary General Partha Chatterjee said on Friday the coming panchayat polls in the West Bengal are not just a battle between different political parties but also a fight between the drive for development by the state government and those forces trying to obstruct it.

He claimed that the green signal to conduct the panchayat polls, as scheduled on May 14 after prolonged court battle, is a moral defeat for the state's opposition parties.

"The panchayat election is not just a three layered election process. Its significance is a lot more than that. The state opposition parties who relentlessly tried to deter the rural elections by resorting to attacks, forming nexus among themselves and moving court repeatedly, have been defeated by the common people," Chatterjee told the reporters here.

"Our aim is to continue the development, stop the forces that are trying to create communal tension and maintain the environment of peace and harmony in the state. The forces that are trying to destabilise people's faith towards Mamata Banerjee will never be successful," he said.

In a veiled attack towards the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) that has gained strength in Bengal over the last two-three years, Trinamool leader said they are polluting the Bengal politics by repeatedly resorting to "foul language and indecent activities".

"A newcomer opposition political party is creating disturbances in some pockets and trying to destroy the political culture of Bengal. They are polluting the Bengal politics by using foul language and bad practices," the State Education Minister said.

Chatterjee also accused sections of left front, especially CPI-M that was in power here for many years, of joining hands with the BJP and supporting their rise, either openly or secretly.

The hooligans, miscreants and cheats, all have combined in the state and they are trying to challenge Mamata Banerjee's drive for development. That is why it is a must-win battle for us," he added.

--IANS

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