CPIM today blamed Central government for Nandigram as for not sending reserve forces on time. CPM politburo member Sita Ram Yechury while talking to newspersons said that the West Bengal government had been asking the centre for a unit of the Coastal Guards to guard the Bay of Bengal as it was the only place from where the CPI (Maoists), who were responsible for the Nandigram incident, were entering the state – entries from land had been blocked.
He said, “This situation has arisen because of the delay in sending CRPF to the state”
Yechury added that from January to November around five hundred men, women and children were driven out of Nandigram and were forced to live in refugee camps, moreover, it was the CPI (M) supporters who were bearing the brunt of the agitation as almost 27 of them had been done to death, while 50 cases of crime had been registered against them for rape, murder, loot, arson and extortion. He said that the CPM was willing to negotiate with the Maoists but there was a pre-condition that they should be willing to drop arms and enter the democratic mainstream. On Tasleema’s case he said that it was not the West Bengal government who had asked Bangladesh writer Tasleema Nasreen to leave the state at the behest of the Islamic fundamentalists – this authority is in hands of the central government only and said, “A visa is given by the central government, and it is the centre which decides where she will stay or not stay.”
He also paid importance to the elections in Himachal Pradesh which are being watched by whole country and leaves a question mark on public’s faces whether communal forces will return to power in the state or not.
“Our first priority is to defeat the communal forces led by the BJP and strengthen the Left in the centre as it is because of the presence of the Left, which is important in steering the central government towards the people and of course to strengthen the Left in Himachal Pradesh also.”
He also hinted that if Left approaches them to join hands the party will look into the issue.
Raised in Shimla and originally from Mandi district, Disha wears many caps which includes being part of a lead team of a fast growing IT company based out of Chandigarh. Earlier Disha was associated with My Himachal and visits Shimla regularly.
