Left meets Mamata, threatens street stir if violence doesn't stop

West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee Monday gave the Left Front a patient hearing, and assured action over the post-poll violence in the state, but the Left Front said it would wait for a few days and hit the streets if its demands are not met.

A 12-member delegation led by Left Front chairman Biman Bose met Banerjee at the state secretariat Nabanna for the first time since the Trinamool Congress came to power in May 2011.

They submitted a memorandum over the political violence which has left four Left activists dead and over a thousand injured since the general elections.

"She gave us a patient hearing and said she will look into the matter and take notice on a case to case basis. But we will not be assured unless there is action. We will wait for a few days. We have told her if there is no action, then we will hit the streets," Bose said after the meeting.

Asked if the delegation was happy with the talks, Bose said the matter was about taking action and not about their happiness.

"It's not a question of being happy or unhappy. We were here to submit a memorandum and give the case details, which we have given. The question is about ensuring the return of those who have been forced to flee their houses. It is about taking action and stopping the violence," he said.

Asserting that post poll violence across the state has reached "alarming proportions", the Left Front claimed that four of its activists and sympathisers including a student have been killed, over 1,000 supporters injured and several hundreds forced to flee their homes.

Last week, a delegation of Left Front legislators led by Leader of Opposition Surjya Kanta Mishra met Governor M.K. Narayanan, seeking his intervention to save the state from the "emerging anarchic situation" caused by the violence unleashed by the ruling Trinamool.