Left asks governor to save Bengal from Trinamool's 'witch-hunt'

Accusing the Mamata Banerjee-led Trinamool Congress government of launching a "witch-hunt to stop the voice of democracy" in West Bengal, the opposition Left Front Wednesday submitted a memorandum to Governor M.K. Narayanan seeking his intervention to save the state from the "emerging anarchic situation".

The Left Front has also drawn the governor's attention to several issues including the Saradha chit fund scam claiming the state government was "reluctant to hand over important documents" to the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI), which is probing the scandal.

"After successfully organising a turbid election, the top brass of the state government has now begun witch-hunting to stop the voice of democracy. The law abiding people within the administration are drastically harassed for not being the 'yes men' of the ruling party, even eminent personalities are not spared," said the memorandum signed by Leader of Opposition Surjya Kanta Mishra among others.

Claiming that the administration provided "covert support to the ruling party to paralyze the right to franchise", the Left Front said even some Election Commission observers expressed their helplessness in preventing malpractices during the Lok Sabha polls.

It said after the declaration of the results, the ruling party has unleashed brutal attacks on Left supporters and workers as well as the common people across the state.

"The issues of chit fund scam, corruption and nepotism in appointment of teachers, atrocities on women, attacks on the livelihood of thousands of people, etc, cannot be legitimised by the verdict in favour of the ruling party in the Lok Sabha election by dint of unprecedented threats, terror and rigging," said the Left Front.

On the Saradha issue, it alleged that the state government "wants to hide something" in its "reluctance to cooperate" in the probe by the central agencies.

"We express our grief and anxiety to you with a hope that you will take the role of a guardian of the aggrieved and suffering people of the state and execute your high office for redressal of grievances and save the state from this emerging anarchic situation," it said.