Panchayat violence: Left may go for general strike

West Bengal Left Front chairman Biman Bose today accused the ruling Trinamool Congress (TMC) of terrorising opposition candidates contesting the next month's panchayat polls and said, the Left parties might go for a general strike, if such a situation persists.

Alleging that the State Election Commission is acting like a puppet in the hands of the ruling TMC, Bose said, the Left Front led by the CPI(M) will carry out an indefinite sit-in outside the SEC office from tomorrow.

"The TMC is terrorising our candidates and is asking them to withdraw their nominations. The SEC is just a mute spectator and is acting as a puppet in the hands of the ruling TMC," he alleged.

"We will go for an indefinite demonstration. It will continue except April 14 and April 15. Tomorrow we have convened a meeting of the Left parties to decide whether to go for a general strike in case the situation does not improve," he said.

Taking a U-turn, the West Bengal State Election Commission today withdrew the extended deadline for filing of nominations for the panchayat elections slated for May 1, 3 and 5.

The opposition parties alleged that it buckled under pressure from the ruling Trinamool Congress.

State Election Commissioner A K Singh cancelled the poll panel's order of yesterday which had extended the deadline for filing nominations by a day till today, sources in the commission said.