Central team gets it left,right & centre in Bengal

Through the day,the much-hyped three-member Central team met state officials and political leaders at the Writers’ Buildings to make an assessment of law and order situation in West Bengal.

Tomorrow,too,the team will be busy meeting DMs and SPs of nine districts — Howrah,East Midnapore,West Midnapore,Burdwan,Birbhum,Bankura,North 24-Parganas,South 24-Parganas,and Darjeeling ¿ in Kolkata.

“They told us they had come here to assist us and not make any assessment. We have asked for some non-political support like more funds,more equipment,etc. Of course,if we get the support from them,we will be better positioned in tackling our problems,” Chief Secretary Central team gets it left,right & centre in Bengal Ashok Mohan Chakrabarti said after the meeting at the Writers’. He said the talks touched upon general law and order situation,the Naxalite problem,Darjeeling,and the problem in the Dooars where Adivasi Vikas Parishad is agitating on several issues.

The state government handed over to them all data about the recent clashes,the political killings,and a report on the preparedness of the state police team.

While the team seemed “non-confrontational” as Union Home Minister P Chaidambaram had claimed earlier,it came under withering fire from both the CPM and the Trinamool.

While daring the Centre to impose Article 356 in West Bengal,Left Front chairman and CPM state secretary Biman Bose made it clear it is unnecessary for the Central team to visit the trouble-torn zones,especially Khanakul,without the state government’s consent.

A delegation of Left leaders led by former MP Md Salim,however,met the team later and submitted “documentary evidences indicating a nexus between Maoists and Trinamool Congress”.

A Trinamool MP,Kalyan Banerjee,went a step further. He barged in at the Calcutta Club,where the team members were at dining with top state officials including the state DGP and gave a tongue-lashing to all of them even as stunned guests and waiters looked on. “You are here to assess the law and order situation,see the violence and murders. Why are you sitting and having dinner with khalnayaks and murderers. These people are behind the violence and the murders,” the MP was heard shouting,pointing to the state police brass.

While the Trinamool is scheduled to meet the team tomorrow at their guest house,state Congress instead decided to meet the Union home minister in Delhi.

The state BJP too said they were not interested in meeting the team and they will submit a report to the Centre directly.