Left, Congress call for people's movement against Trinamool 'terror'

Lambasting the Trinamool Congress for "unleashing terror to eliminate the opposition", the Left Front and the Congress on Wednesday collectively called for a massive people's movement to 're-establish democracy' in West Bengal.

Participating in a two-day sit-in demonstration against post-poll violence, leaders from both the camps batted for the continued relevance of the Congress-Left Front tie-up.

"Despite winning 211 of the 294 seats, the violence unleashed by Trinamool has continued unabated and has only intensified after the assembly polls. Polls also took place in Assam, Kerala and Tamil Nadu, but it is only Bengal where the ruling party has unleashed brutal attacks on the opposition," said Left Front chairman Biman Bose.

"We have to teach them a lesson. There is no other way out. We have to build up a massive resistance across the state and sustain it for a long time. The people's alliance that we had forged for fighting for democracy will continue till democracy is re-established in Bengal," said Bose.

Expressing a similar view, Congress leader Abdul Mannan alleged the violence was a result of Trinamool supremo and Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee's "conspiracy to eliminate the opposition".

"Mamata is determined to eliminate the opposition only because we have been raising the uncomfortable truth about Trinamool being neck deep in corruption.

"This violence can be countered only through a people's movement. That is why the alliance has now become more significant," said Mannan.

Among the leaders present at the sit-in were Communist Party of India-Marxist politburo member Mohammad Salim, Congress MLA Manoj Chakraborty and state Congress general secretary O.P. Mishra.

Mishra said the Congress will boycott Banerjee government's swearing-in ceremony on May 27 as a mark of protest. The Left too has threatened not to attend the ceremony to be held in city's Indira Gandhi Sarani.

--IANS

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