New Delhi: Concerned over "growing attacks" on its workers and party offices in West Bengal, CPI(M) today asked the Election Commission to take urgent steps to ensure free and fair polls and alleged that a "rattled" Trinamool Congress was spinning "a web of conspiracy theories" to justify "its violence".
"A very dangerous strategy is being adopted by Trinamool Congress (TC) after the arrest of its ardent supporters. The ongoing probe into the multi-crore ponzy (Saradha) scam has rattled the Chief Minister and the party," senior CPI(M) leader Sitaram Yechury told PTI from Madurai.
"That is why they are now spinning a web of conspiracy theories and planning to mount attacks using them in order to disrupt the conduct of free and fair polls," he said, days after Saradha scam`s key accused Sudipta Sen`s wife and son were arrested by Enforcement Directorate.
Party General Secretary Prakash Karat said "it is a typical ploy of Mamata Banerjee to make wild accusations against her opponents and use them to unleash violence against the CPI(M) and the Left Front."
Yechury said the TC also "seems to be desperate given that its gameplan did not succeed in the first round of polling" in four seats of North Bengal where the poll percentage was over 80 per cent.
Both Yechury and Karat demanded that the Election Commission take urgent measures to curb the violence against CPI(M) and the Left Front and ensure free and fair elections.
A prominent CPI(M) worker was killed in Birbhum and two party offices were ransacked allegedly by Trinamool Congress workers in Barrackpore in West Bengal yesterday.
The second round of polling in the state is on April 24 for six seats, followed by nine on April 30, six on May 7 and 17 on May 12.
