Kolkata: Trinamool Congress on Tuesday brushed
aside the West Bengal government`s imposition of conditions
for its August 9 rally in Lalgarh to be addressed by party
chief Mamata Banerjee, saying it will not accept them and
demanded their withdrawal.
"What conditions? Whose conditions? We will not accept
any conditions. Mamata will be going to Lalgarh as scheduled,"
Trinamool vice-president Subrata Mukherjee told reporters here
after meeting Governor M K Narayananan together with Leader of
the Opposition Partha Chatterjee.
"Mamata is a Union minister and she can travel to any
part of the state. Is any condition imposed for the chief
minister to visit any place in the state," Mukherjee asked.
He said that the only condition should be that
Buddhadeb Bhattacherjee should quit as chief minister owning
moral responsibility for the string of defeats in elections.
Trinamool Congress would also not abide by the
government`s instruction to stick to announced routes while
going for the meeting, he said.
"The routes will be decided by the party. It will be
an apolitical meeting to draw people to protest the CPI(M)`s
terror politics. We want the state administration to withdraw
the conditions by today or before the visit," he said.
Stating that he had conveyed the party`s concerns
about the conditions put by the government, Mukherjee alleged
that the administration would try to create trouble at Lalgarh
and blame the Maoists for it.
With Banerjee having voiced apprehension that there
was a conspiracy against her life, Mukherjee claimed "a supari
killer had been appointed to kill her. A minister of
paschimanchal (western districts) is behind it. The chief
minister is also aware of it".
He said the party was worried about Mamata`s safety.
"We hope that Centre will provide adequate security.
From the party we are also also looking into the security
aspect," he said.
Chatterjee said prohibitory orders were in force in
Lalgarh for the past one year and none except the CPI(M) was
allowed to hold meetings there. "This is discrimination
against opposition parties by the state government."
Chatterjee and Mukherjee who led a party delegation to
the governor said he had requested him to check the increasing
incidents of killing of Trinamool Congress and other political
opponents in various parts of the state.
PTI
