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Trinamool Congress demands President's rule in Bengal

July 31, 2009 18:51 IST

The Trinamool Congress on Friday alleged that the Parliamentary democracy system in West Bengal is under threat due to the state-sponsored terrorism and demanded that President's rule should be imposed in the state, if necessary. The Trinamool Congress also demanded that the state assembly elections, due in 2011, should be pre-poned.

"We have informed the home minister about the barbaric atrocities that have been going on in the West Bengal. The Communist Party of India - Marxist could not digest their loss in the last Lok Sabha polls and now they have been resorting to state-sponsored terrorism to recover land, especially in Lalgarh," said Sudeep Bandyopadhyay, chief whip of the Trinamool Congress in Parliament.

A delegation of Members of Parliament, including one Parliamentarian from Congress party, today met Union Home Minister P Chidambaram at his North Block office in New Delhi.

Terming the state governance as 'shameless' for the ongoing 'bloodbath' in the state, the Trinamool Congess MP said, "It first started in one district then gradually spread to other districts and now it is going on in every part of the state. We have demanded the imposition of Article 355 and if necessary Article 356 (President's rule). President's rule should be imposed," Bandyopadhyay said.

"They (state government) are targeting members of the minority community and Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes because they supported the Trinamool Congress in the last election. As many as 52 people were killed at the behest of the state government and today we have given a list of 36 people to Chidambaram who were killed in the recent past," the Lok Sabha member said.

"Parliamentary democracy system is under threat in West Bengal. It is unimaginable. There is an unholy nexus between the Writer's building (State secretariat) and Alimuddin Street (CPI-M's state headquarters)," Bandyopadhyay said.

On being asked about Chidambaram's reply to their concern, he said, "He (Chidambaram) assured us that he will look into our demands and said he will seek a report from the state government and if necessary, he will again discuss it with Trinamool Congress. The Union minister too has information about the happenings in West Bengal."

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