People's Democracy

B Prasant

HUNDREDS of silent processions were taken out throughout West Bengal to pay homage to the earthquake victims of Gujarat and demonstrate solidarity with the people of Gujarat. The Red Flag flew at half-mast in deference to the huge number of casualties this big earthquake has caused.

A lengthy procession traversed the route between Panisala and Pundibari in Coochbehar township while Hooghly district witnessed processions at Serampore, Polba Dadpur, Nabagram, Alinagar, Bhandarhati, Belmuri, Jangipara, Tarakeswar and Arambagh. The district Left Front unit of North 24 Parganas organised a march from the Colony Crossing to Haritala via Barasat bus terminus. Processions were also taken out in Bagda, Bongaon, and Gaighata.

The central procession in Bankura took place around the Bankura town and ended at Machantala.

A silent march wended its way in and around the town of Berhampore in Murshidabad district. A march was organised at the township of Maldah while 35 zonal committees took out silent processions in the district of Midnapore.

Apart from a central march that took place in Burdwan town itself, similar programmes were held at Asansol, Durgapur, Guskara, Kanksa and Kalna.

Speaking to INN in Kolkata, state CPI(M) secretary Anil Biswas, who addressed the marchers in the programme organised in the metropolis late in the afternoon on January 28, said that a mass collection drive "will commence on and from January 29 and the assistance thus brought together shall be forwarded to the Gujarat state government." The Kolkata procession was joined by several thousand marchers, and headed by leaders of the Left Front like Anil Biswas and Biman Basu (CPI-M), Satya Bhattacharya (CPI) and Parimal Routh (RSP).

STATE CPI(M) secretary, Anil Biswas, came down heavily on the recent statement of Trinamul Congress supremo, Ms Mamata Banerjee, on the Kamtapuri separatist movement.

Speaking to INN at Muzaffar Ahmad Bhavan on January 29 morning, Biswas said Ms Banerjee had served the separatist movement with a clean chit and that this clearly showed the kind of political opportunism the Trinamul Congress was willing to indulge in before the assembly polls.

Reacting to Ms Banerjee’s remark that the separatists’ demand was a "legitimate one," Anil Biswas noted that by indulging in this kind of political brinkmanship, Ms Banerjee is not unwilling to encourage a division of Bengal for the sake gaining a bit of political mileage.

Earlier, Ms Banerjee had said that "her party had no links with the Kamtapuri movement." Her recent remark at a public meeting at Siliguri, providing legitimacy to the movement, has certainly encouraged the divisive elements who would now chortle that they are now "willing and ready to forge an electoral alliance with the Trinamul Congress and create a mahajot in north Bengal." (INN)