Print this article

Mamata asks Centre to stop Lalgarh operations

June 29, 2009 20:12 IST

The Centre should call off the operations in West Midnapore district and instead engage the Central forces in unearthing illegal arms allegedly stockpiled by the Communist Party of India-Marxist in West Bengal, Trinamool Congress chief Mamata Banerjee said on Monday.

"I am once again urging the central government not to provide support to the CPI-M at Lalgarh and use Central forces to unearth illegal arms stocked by the party," the Railway minister told mediapersons in Kolkata.

"I urge the Centre to immediately convene an emergency meeting to be attended by Finance Minister Pranab Mukherjee and Home Minister P Chidambaram to review what actually is happening at Lalgarh in the name of flushing out Maoists," Banerjee said.

Demanding that the Centre invoke the Disturbed Areas Act in West Midnapore, Purulia and Bankura districts, Banerjee alleged "the so-called operation against Maoists is a drama."

She claimed the Lalgarh operation was part of CPI-M's bid to recapture the area, and in the process 40,000 people had been rendered homeless.

Banerjee said she had talked to Prime Minister Manmohan Singh about the Lalgarh situation as also Mukherjee.

"I talked to Pranab Mukherjee four times yesterday and today about the Lalgarh situation. I submitted a report to him about the state-sponsored torture on villagers at Lalgarh, Salboni and Keshpur," she said.