CPI-M government a bandit government: Mamata

DHULAGARH - Railway Minister and Trinamool Congress chief Mamata Banerjee Saturday launched a scathing attack on Communist Party of India-Marxist (CPI-M)-led Left Front government and termed it as a government of ‘harmads’ (bandits).

“This CPI-M government is a government of harmads. I have seen cannons during wars and this time cannons are being found from the houses of CPM leader,” said Banerjee while addressing a party rally in Howrah.

At least seven people were shot dead and 12 wounded allegedly by Marxist-backed assailants near the Maoist hub of Lalgarh in West Bengal’s West Midnapore Friday, prompting union Home Minister P. Chidambaram to summon Chief Minister Buddhadeb Bhattacharjee to New Delhi.

Banerjee alleged that CPI-M-backed assailants perpetuated the gruesome act because the villagers disagreed with their diktat of sending their children to the CPI-M camps for arms training.

“For last few months these harmads have ushered unprecedented violence in this area. They were torturing the villagers for food and asked them to serve in those camps. The villagers out of fear agreed to it”.

“But these harmads also asked the villagers to send their children for arms training which they denied and this led to these killings,” said Banerjee

Banerjee claimed that the police and the district administration were made inactive during these killings and even the ambulances to ferry the wounded were not allowed to enter the village.