Advani blamed for fuelling Central rule demand in W Bengal

The leaders of CPI-M, CPI, RSP and Forward Bloc, at a joint press conference said a "systematic disinformation campaign" had been launched against the ruling Left Front on the basis of the Garbeta incident, while there was no media focus on the killings of Left party cadres by Trinamool-BJP combine in different parts of the state.

They said the Centre was trying to "scuttle" the CBI case on Purulia arms dropping which had pointed towards a "well-planned conspiracy".

Asked whether the Front government would order a CBI probe or one by a judge, into the Garbeta incident, they said the state CID was inquiring into it. "It is wrong to say that only central agencies can do the job and not the state agencies. What has happened to the CBI probe into the Purulia case?" asked Surjeet.

He said a former US Ambassador to India, Daniel Patrick Moynihan, had "revealed in his memoirs that twice the United States funded efforts against the communists during elections in West Bengal and Kerala".

Asked whether Trinamool-BJP combine were also playing into the hands of the foreign powers, Surjeet said the US has "never been sympathetic to us" and they have a common cause with the anti-communist forces.

"The actual issue is resorting to illegal and violent actions to try to destabilise the situation in the state. A similar pattern was seen earlier too," he said while referring to the December 1995 Purulia arms dropping alleging that the large arms consignment "was to be utilised against the Left and the state government".

"The CBI inquiries have pointed to a well-planned conspiracy in this regard. Yet the BJP-led government is now trying to scuttle the case when the key accused are still absconding," the Left leaders said, adding that the animus against the Front government also had "an international dimension".

The leaders, who also included D Raja (CPI) and Devarajan (Forward Bloc), said all left parties would carry out protest actions in different parts of the country on January 24 against these attacks.