Kolkata civic polls: Trinamool promises green city, Left slams inefficiency

The ruling Trinamool Congress on Monday released its manifesto for the Kolkata Municipal Corporation (KMC) polls, promising to build a "green and clean" city.

Claiming to be the "main opposition" in West Bengal, the CPI-M led Left Front too issued its manifesto for the polls, slamming the Trinamool-run KMC and charging the Mamata Banerjee-led party of being complementary to the Bharatiya Janata Party.

"Our aim is to provide a green and clean Kolkata. Development, peace and secularism comprise our way forward," Trinamool secretary general Partha Chatterjee said releasing the manifesto.

Chatterjee said the historic achievements of the Trinamool-run KMC cannot be denied even by party detractors.

"From simplification of taxes to lighting of streets and launch of Wi-Fi, KMC has done a splendid job in the last five years," he said.

The Trinamool also claimed to have improved drinking water facilities, roads and solid waste management in the city.

"In terms of minority development, the current KMC board deserves the top spot," the party claimed in the manifesto.

Asserting that the onus was on it to oust the Trinamool, the Left Front in its manifesto, dubbed Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee's recent meet with Prime Minister Narendra Modi as "ghar wapsi".

"The CBI and the ED, which are under the centre's control, are investigating the Saradha chit fund scam.

"It is the fallout of that investigation that Mamata Banerjee is now meeting Narendra Modi. The Trinamool has supported various bills of the BJP in the Rajya Sabha. It is ghar wapsi of Trinamool," the Left manifesto said.

"The BJP and the Trinamool are supplementing and complementing each other. But the fact is, only the Left Front is the main opposition and can free the people from the misrule of the Trinamool," the manifesto claimed.

The Left also slammed the Trinamool for using the KMC resources to cling to power instead of using them for development.

It said the KMC board in the past five years has been unable to resolve problems concerning drinking water and health infrastructure.