Don't withdraw central forces from West Bengal: Trinamool

The party says the state has become a model of peace and the forces are required to maintain tranquility

Trinamool Congress today urged the Centre not to withdraw central forces from West Bengal without the consent of the state government to maintain the federal structure of the country.

Raising the issue in the Lok Sabha, Sudip Bandhopadhyay (TC) urged Home Minister Rajnath Singh to discuss the issue with the Mamata Banerjee government before taking a call. He said 13 companies of central forces are being withdrawn from Jharkhand-Midnapore border and the Darjeeling-Nepal border.

He said the state has become a model of peace and the forces were required to maintain tranquility. Responding to his demand, Singh said he will get details of the issue raised by the Trinamool Congress member.

He also asserted that the sanctity of the federal structure will be maintained. Former Railways minister Dinesh Trivedi took as member of the 16th Lok Sabha today. The House also paid tributes to its former member A Narendra, who represented Medak (then in Andhra Pradesh and now in Telangana) in the 13th and 14th Lok Sabha.