COOCHBEHAR TODAY

Trinamul bid to resist CPM slur, CPM to retaliate

COOCH BEHAR, Feb. 13: Demanding lifting of the cases brought against its president Mr Rabindra Nath Ghosh and other Trinamul activists in connection with the alleged attack on CPI-M district secretary Mr Chandi Pal on Wednesday, the district Trinamul Congress submitted a memorandum to the Cooch Behar SP Mr DP Singh today.

State Trinamul Congress secretary Mr Abdul Jalil Ahmed, district Trinamul Congress vice-president Mr Niranjan Dutta, district Trinamul Youth Congress president Kumar Rajib Narayan and other leaders told the SP today that the CPI-M leader Mr Chandi Pal was a victim of a mere road accident that occurred near Bhairaber-tari Baxikuthi village on Wednesday but a false case was lodged against Mr Ghosh and other Trinamul supporters. As the case is a fabricated one this must be lifted immediately, they demanded.

The Trinamul leaders also told the SP that CPI-M goons did damage to Trinamul Congress offices at Sitalkuchi and other places. At Dhalpal the CPI-M goons have beaten five Trinamul supporters who are now in Tufanganj Hospital. Condition of one Jiban Das is serious and he was shifted to North Bengal Medical and Hospital, they said. The leaders demanded legal steps against the CPI-M miscreants.

On the otherhand, district Trinamul Congress president Mr Rabindra Nath Ghosh announced that they would organise a massive demonstration at the offices of the SP and the district magistrate on 19 February demanding withdrawal of the false cases initiated against him and others.

Mr Ghosh said, "The district CPI-M secretary Mr Chandi Pal and forest minister Mr Ananta Roy brought baseless and false allegations against the Trinamul Congress to malign our party's image. The police should arrest them to bring back normalcy in this district."

When contacted, state forest minister Mr Ananta Roy said, "People of this district know who are the actual wrongdoers. Trinamul Congress destroyed our party offices at different places and are creating trouble everywhere." About the proposed 19 February demonstration of the Trinamul Congress he said it was their party's agenda. The administration knows how to deal with such demonstrations, he opined.

District CPI-M sources said they lodged the complaint to the police and it was up to the police to do the right. The party would go as far as needed to get the offenders, including Mr Ghosh, arrested.

Asok visits Chandi Pal

COOCH BEHAR, Feb. 13: Condition of Mr Chandi Pal is improving but it is yet uncertain when he is to be released from the hospital. This afternoon, state municipal affairs minister Mr Asok Bhattacharya appeared at MJN Hospital and inquired about the progress of recovery of Mr Pal. When asked about the proposed demonstration of Trinamul Congress to be held on 19 February he said the offenders should stay behind the bars. The CPI-M will also organise movement and mobilise people against their dirty politics, he added.

CPM MLA critical

COOCH BEHAR, Feb. 13: The condition of Natabari MLA and a resident of trouble-torn Tufanganj sub-division Mr Tamser Ali is still critical. He is under observation in the intensive care unit (ICU). He got admitted in a private nursing home in Cooch Behar yesterday following a massive cardiac attack. He is also a district secretariat member of the CPI-M. Senior leaders of the CPI-M, Forward Bloc and other parties have started visiting him since yesterday.