Cong terms violence in South 24 Parganas as 'retaliation'

Left workers were attacked and several vehicles set ablaze allegedly by the Trinamool Congress at Bamunghata in South 24 Parganas district on Tuesday when they were going to attend a rally to protest Sunday's attack on Marxist leader Abdur Rezzak Mollah, Communist Party of India-Marxist leader and former minister Kanti Ganguly said.

Ganguly alleged that the Left supporters were attacked and eight of their vehicles were set on fire by TMC workers. Left sources also claimed that three persons received bullet injuries and were admitted to hospital.

TMC leader Arabul Islam, accused by the CPI-M of of leading the attack against Mollah on Sunday, counter claimed that his car was fired on allegedly by Marxist workers who tried to kill him as a result of which he fell off and was rescued by party workers.

Superintendent of police Pravin Tripathi, when asked, admitted that some incidents had take place, but could not give details immediately. Meanwhile, the Congress has said what was happening in West Bengal was 'retaliation'.

At the same time, the All India Congress Committeewanted the ruling party to avoid the 'mistakes' committed by the Marxists while in power.

"I do not justify that. In West Bengal, for 34 years there was CPI-M rule. Suppression of the opponents is history of West Bengal...What is happening now is retaliation," Congress spokesman P C Chacko told mediapersons.

He wanted Mamata Banerjee's party to 'leave things to law enforcement agencies instead of taking law into their hands. The TMC should take lessons from the mistakes committed by the Communists in the past. They should take lessons from history'.

Chacko was replying to a question on growing attacks on the Left workers, allegedly by TMC workers with the state government backing the party activists.

In India, wherever there is a Communist government, they are following 'arm twisting measures' against their opponents, he alleged. He said while in power in West Bengal the Left had used 'most undemocratic methods'.