West Bengal CM says Trinamool Congress has Maoist links

Kolkata, Feb 14 (ANI): West Bengal Chief Minister Buddhadeb Bhattacharjee has said the Trinamool Congress party (TMC) is working hand in glove with Maoists in the region.

Addressing a Communist Party of India-Marxist rally of CPM here on Sunday, Bhattacharjee said the TMC had played a role in the killing of CPM cadres, supporters and other young leaders.

"We want to stop Maoists. The Maoists have to be defeated. There is no other way out. The Trinamool Congress is conspiring with Maoists. They are killing our young leaders and they are showing them the way out. This is the truth of Trinamool Congress," he said.

Alleging that the Trinamool is supplying oxygen to Maoists in Bankura, Purulia and Paschim Medinipur Districts, Bhattacharjee said that while the government was trying to contain left wing extremists to these districts, the Trinamool wanted their influence to spread across the state.

Ruling out separate Gorkhaland state to be carved out of the state, despite widespread violence in hilly regions, he slammed TMC for siding with the Gorkha Janmukti Morcha (GJM).

"Our aim is to keep Darjeeling as an integral part of West Bengal. The Trinamool is silent on this as well. They are their allies. We will have to deal with all of them," added Bhattacharjee.

Bhattacharjee also attacked the Congress-led UPA government at the Centre, saying it was mired in corruption and scams.

He demanded immediate seizure of black money kept in foreign banks and to disclose the names of the account holders.

He said, Congress is a party of the wealthy and is hardly bothered by the rising prices.

Earlier, Bhattacharjee wrote to Union Home Minister P Chidambaram on the nexus between the Trinamool Congress and the Maoists.

In his letter, Bhattacharjee cited the arrest of two persons from a Trinamool Congress-run camp in Midnapore who allegedly had Maoist link.

Bhattacharjee had earlier said that the inmates of the municipality-run camp had obstructed the police on January 31 during the arrest of the two who had been given shelter there. (ANI)