Forward Bloc's 'no' to Mamata's anti-BJP alliance

Rejecting Trinamool Congress chief Mamata Banerjee's call for a grand alliance against the BJP, Forward Bloc - the second largest constituent of the West Bengal Left Front - on Tuesday alleged there was "no democracy" in the state now.

"The party does not endorse any grand alliance with Trinamool Congress. We will be with the Left Front and its Chairman Biman Bose is my guardian," Forward Bloc's new state General Secretary Naren Chatterjee said.

Criticising the Trinamool government on the Narada case, Chatterjee demanded to know why it petitioned the Supreme Court seeking a stay on the Calcutta High Court order at the cost of public exchequer.

He said going to a higher court by the accused was acceptable, but the state government paying "huge fees to lawyers" from the public exchequer to save the "corrupt Trinamool Congress' leaders" was "unacceptable".

"Can you tell me why the state government filed a petition before the Supreme Court in the Narada case?" Chatterjee told reporters here.

"The government is paying fees to lawyers," he said. "Have the accused persons been involved in the corruption after consulting the state government?"

The controversy erupted in March last year just before the state assembly election when Narada News portal uploaded a series of videos purportedly showing a number of Trinamool leaders, including former and present ministers, MPs and state lawmakers, receiving money in exchange of favours to a fictitious company.

He said the Forward Bloc will continue to fight communalism and corruption. "There is no democracy in Bengal right now," Chatterjee said.

Speaking on the results of last year's assembly elections and the Left Front's alliance with the Congress, he said: "It was not an alliance. The Left Front did not gain by holding hands with the Congress."

Chatterjee was elected for the top job last week, with the party seeing its first change of guard at that level in 65 years.

His predecessor Ashok Ghosh took charge of the Bengal unit in 1951 and held the post till his death in March last year.

--IANS

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