Left vows to make Purulia ‘plot’ a poll issue

Claiming that the arms were meant to be supplied to Ananda Margis to foment violence to destabilise the Left Front government,Karat said his party had for long being saying that forces,both internal and external,were out to unseat the Left using the pretext of violence.

“Now also you see the same pattern… Forget Ananda Margis and replace them with Maoists,” he said,arguing that the spectre of violence was being used even now to destabilise the Left government.

“Political violence has claimed lives of a large number of CPM activists and supporters but the union home minister goes to West Bengal and says it has become a killing field and the CPM is responsible,” Karat added. “Chidambaram is a member of the government of which Trinamool Congress is a part… The same Trinamool which is openly aiding and abetting Maoist violence in Bengal. The conspiracy to unseat the Left front government has not ceased.”

On the sidelines,the BJP and the Congress entered into a war of words. Congress spokesperson Abhishek Manu Singhvi claimed it was then Home Minister L K Advani who had sought Presidential pardon for Bleach.

“The BJP does not disclose the contents of the detailed recommendations of the then home minister without which an anti-national arms-dropper like Peter Bleach could not be given Presidential pardon and released,” he said.

The BJP rubbished the claims. “The allegation against Advani is maliciously false. Bleach was convicted according to the Indian legal system and he was in jail for many years. If because of an international diplomatic request,he was granted pardon,to criticise the government for that is wholly unjustified,” BJP spokesman Ravi Shankar Prasad said.

Meanwhile,Bengal CM Buddhadeb Bhattacharjee demanded a judicial probe into the case. “A political conspiracy has been exposed… Considering the gravity of the incident and for internal security,I demand a judicial probe in this matter,” he said a statement Friday.

In a separate statement,Left Front chairman Biman Bose said they will make the issue the main campaign plank in the remaining phases of the election.