Tension builds up ahead of Assembly polls

CALCUTTA, JAN 1: Tension between various political parties is gradually building up in West Bengal prior to the Assembly elections to be h...

CALCUTTA, JAN 1: Tension between various political parties is gradually building up in West Bengal prior to the Assembly elections to be held by April this year. The Jana Chetna Mancha, launched by expelled CPI(M) leader Saifuddin Chaudhury a couple of months back, today alleged that the CPI(M) was threatening their leaders with dire consequences and creating all sorts of trouble at every place the Mancha planned a rally or meeting.

“The CPI(M) is threatening the organisers of our meetings with severe consequences,” Tapas Basu, one of the co-founders of the Mancha and a close lieutenant of Saifuddin told this reporter. “Yesterday, we had our meeting at Maldah but the local CPI(M) leaders went to the houses of the organisers and sympathisers of our Mancha and intimidated them. Finally, many of the people who wanted to join the outfit had backed out for fear of violence,” Basu added.

Saifuddin had announced that the Mancha was a prelude to a new political party he was going to launch by the first week of May.

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Basu also said that the CPI(M) was creating tension in Burdwan where the Jana Chetna was going to hold a rally on January 5. “They have also called for a rally at a site close to the venue of our meeting and it has created a lot of tension in the area,” Basu said. He also said that CPI(M) goons were threatening Jana Chetna organisers in Haldia where Saifuddin was scheduled to address a rally on January 7. “If this continues it will lead to violence on the eve of the elections,” Basu said. He also said that he would write to the Director General of Police about this.

When contacted, CPI(M) state committee secretary Anil Biswas refused to comment on the issue.

Meanwhile, political circles in Calcutta were agog with rumours of rebel minister Subhas Chakravarthy leaving the party and forming a separate outfit by the end of the month. Just yesterday, while talking to a private TV channel, Chakravarthy had taken another dig at the Bhattacharya government, saying that the efforts “trumpeted” by the government, viz. that of introducing a new work culture among government employees, was actually aimed at denouncing Jyoti Basu. “Basu was the architect of a new work culture and not anybody else,” Chakravarthy said.

“We are in touch with Chakravarthy,” said a leader of the Jana Chetna. “We are trying for a single outfit with both Saifuddin and Subhas. Wait till February and you will see lots of changes in the political scene of West Bengal,” the leader told The Indian Express.

Parichay Kumar, Superintendent of Police (Patna East), who reached the spot, said: "We have been talking to the driver of Rajkumar Yadav. Prima facie, it looks to be a case of land dispute and money transactions."

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