ELECTION

Trinamul supports separatists, alleges top FB leader

COOCH BEHAR, March 30: The Trinamul Congress always supports the secessionists and so there is nothing new in their visiting the leader of the 'Greater Cooch Behar' movement inside the jail, said the All India Forward Bloc general secretary Mr Debabrata Biswas. The Trinamul effort will make no difference as the Forward Bloc's candidate is going to win the Cooch Behar seat, he said.

Mentionworthy, four Trinamul Congress leaders led by Mr Mukul Roy visited 'Greater Cooch Behar' leader Mr Bangshi Badan Barman inside the Cooch Behar District Correctional Home yesterday to seek his support for the Trinamul candidate. They tried to convince Mr Barman saying that the CPI-M was the common enemy of both parties. It is believed that they went there following instruction of party chief Miss Mamata Banerjee who came her yesterday to address a meeting at Dinhata.

The senior FB leader believes the third front led by the Leftists is going to come into power at the Centre. In that case, the Leftists should join the cabinet and the FB must join in that government as it would be a Left-sponsored government, he said. He recalled that the formation of the United Front made way to form the Left Front in this state.

Refuting the allegation raised by Miss Mamata Banerjee yesterday that the Forward Bloc forgot the five martyrs of Dinhata police firing and turned servant of the CPI-M, the FB leader said, "We never forgot the martyrs. We staged protest against the police firing though we are in the government." Not the CPI-M but the police had opened fire, clarified Mr Biswas.

About the rebellion of the outgoing MP, Mr Hiten Barman, who is also the president of district Forward Bloc, Mr Biswas said they received no resignation letter from him yet. Mr Barman is a good organiser. He would continue to serve the party. Replying a question, Mr Biswas said in 1999 Mr Barman was made the candidate without intimating him earlier and this time he was replaced by another candidate without asking him. There is no wrong and the party leadership did it in the greater interest of the party, explained Mr Biswas.