Even before their respective leaderships could finalise an electoral alliance, CPI(M) workers on Monday joined a Congress rally in the city against the alleged Trinamul Congress misrule.
Even before their respective leaderships could finalise an electoral alliance, CPI(M) workers on Monday joined a Congress rally in the city against the alleged Trinamul Congress misrule.
State Congress president Adhir Chowdhury had given a call for an agitation demanding the immediate arrests of those behind the kidnapping of a Left-supported Independent councillor of Kandi municipality Debajyoti Roy. Mr Roy was found on Sunday after remaining traceless for four days. His forced absence paved the way for the Trinamul Congress’ victory in the no-trust vote on Friday by just one vote.
On Monday, Mr Chowdhury brought Mr Roy and his councillor wife Santana to the city to participate in the agitation. “We have come here to make the people aware about a new dimension that the Trinamul Congress’ atrocities has taken. Earlier they illegally captured municipalities by intimidating and bribing Opposition councillors. Now the ruling party has added kidnapping as a tool to capture civic bodies,” Mr Chowdhury said.
Mr Roy and his wife lambasted the Trinamul Congress as well as the police for his ordeal. “The police’s total inaction despite Calcutta high court’s order was frightening,” Mr Roy said.
Reiterating his claim, Mr Chowdhury said the TMC may have won the battle but lost the war. “Kandi fiasco has brought the Congress and the CPI(M) closer. The fluttering of the red flags with the Congress’ flags today makes it clear that we have inched closer to an alliance,” he said.
Not only in Kolkata but in Durgapur also, the two flags were seen together. Members of Intuc and Citu — trade union wings of the Congress and CPI(M) — jointly organised an agitation at the labour commissioner’s office in Durgapur demanding the reopening of the closed industries. On Sunday, supporters of SFI and Chhatra Parishad jointly took out a procession in Midnapore.
Mr Chowdhury claimed that joint agitation and rallies were spontaneous.
“No one is inviting any one but still spontaneous protests are taking place. The process for an alliance has begun and honestly speaking now neither the CPI(M) nor the Congress leadership can reverse it. In fact, it will gain further momentum with every passing day,” he said, adding that the people of Bengal wanted an alliance to get rid of the Trinamul Congress rule.
Meanwhile, Calcutta high court expressed its displeasure over the Kandi police’s sloppy handling of the councillor’s kidnapping. Justice Dipankar Dutta chided the officer-in-charge of Kandi for the absence of a proper signature on the complaint lodged by Mr Roy’s family and friends.
