On rally venues,CM proposes,Opposition disposes

In fact,unlike the earlier meetings,this all-party meeting ended in acrimony with Banerjee herself coming forward to reply to the personal attacks on her launched by leader of CPM delegation Mohammad Selim.

“I thought Partha Chatterjee will address the media,but when I heard them saying something different here than what they said in the meeting,I decided to address the press meet. They are playing politics here,’’ Mamata said after the meeting.

The earlier three all-party meetings on renaming of the state,division of districts and formation of Vidhan Parishad saw Trinamool and the opposition CPM reach an understanding.

On Friday,elaborating on her government’s stand,Banerjee said she had proposed four permanent venues for political rallies – Shaheed Minar,Rani Rashmoni Road,Mayo Road and Subodh Mullick Square. “We have instructed our party cadres that road blockades at the slightest excuse is banned. We also want that the Esplanade area should be free from rallies and processions as it leads to major traffic snarls. We also said the area covering Red Road,Akashbani Bhavan,Assembly building and Raj Bhavan should be declared a heritage zone which should have no hoardings. We have told them 10 places in the city should be earmarked for political hoardings. We also want a particular policy for commercial hoardings as putting them at random causes visual and air pollution. We do not want to impose our opinion on others. We have told them to get back to us with their views,’’ Mamata said.

Earlier,CPM central committee member Mohammad Selim alleged they were not told before hand the government’s stand on venues for rallies. “At the meeting,the government told us about Shaheed Minar but we said if several parties wanted to hold rally there on the same day,it will cause chaos. We also made it clear here that there are several burning issues that should be addressed first. On October 29,2003 an all-party meeting was held at Writers’ Building on the same issue but that was boycotted by Trinamool Congress and SUCI. They called it ‘anti-people’. And so far as hoardings and cut-outs are concerned,most of them are of the TMC chief,’’ Selim said.

Meanwhile,the BJP,led by its former president Tathagata Roy,opposed restrictions on rallies and processions.