People's Democracy

Rally Condemns Murder Of CPI(M) Workers

B Prasant

A MASSIVE rally attended by at least two lakh of people from the three northern Bengal districts, expressed its condemnation of the assassination on August 17 of five CPI (M) workers by the murderers of the separatist outfit, the Kamtapur Liberation Organisation or KLO. The rally also called for the adoption of political means to counter the attack being organised against the Left Front in general and the CPI (M) in particular by the KLO and its cohorts in northern Bengal districts over the past two years.

Organised under the aegis of the Bengal Left Front in the afternoon of September 1 at the centre of the Dhupguri Township, the central rally was preceded by statewide programmes that condemned the killings and called upon the people to stand united to foil the separatist and divisive designs of the KLO.

The entire household of all the five CPI (M) workers killed by the KLO murderers came out to join the rally. Kisans, Chia Kaman mazdoors from the tea garden of the dooars, workers-employees from the adjacent towns and cities, swelled the ranks at Dhupguri, as did a large number of students and youth. There was a large and noticeable presence of women in the rally.

In his address, secretary of the state unit of the CPI (M), Anil Biswas called for a further strengthening of political endeavours to isolate the KLO separatists and to foil their divisive game. If the KLO, said Biswas, had thought that their murdering spree would frighten the people into silence, they must surely have come out of that illusion on seeing the popular upsurge against the campaign of murder all over Bengal.

Biswas congratulated the people of northern Bengal districts in general and those of Jalpaiguri in particular for the manner in which they have come boldly forward in organising a wide campaign movement against the misdeeds of the KLO and its partners in crime. Biswas exhorted upon the people to continue with their political programme against the separatists in an unabated manner.

Anil Biswas pointed out how the separatist elements were active in their efforts to mislead the common people into playing into their hands. He said that it should be the effort of the Left Front workers to ensure that the people were not led astray under any circumstances by the KLO and such other elements.

MAINTAIN VIGIL AT BORDER

Bengal chief minister Buddhadeb Bhattacharjee said that the Inter-Services Intelligence or ISI of Pakistan was active in aiding and abetting the separatist elements of KLO and the ULFA. The effort to make a Kashmir or Assam out of northern Bengal must be resisted by every political means by the people.

Bhattacharjee dismissed out of hand the spurious claim of the KLO and its political wing the KPP, that they represented the Rajbanshi community in north Bengal. The Bengal chief minister pointed out that these elements did not even represent two per cent of the Rajbanshi community, the largest bulk of which remained close supporters of the Left Front in general and the CPI (M) in particular.

Buddhadeb Bhattacharjee also said that in view of the allegation that the ULFA and KLO ultras often sought refuge in neighbouring Bhutan, the BJP-led union government must ensure that an adequate vigil was maintained along the India-Bhutan border. Bhattacharjee said that on his part he would take the issue up with the king of Bhutan shortly.

Jalpaiguri district secretary of the CPI (M) Manik Sanyal who presided over the programme also addressed the rally. Other speakers at the rally were: Dinesh Dakua, Ashok Bhattacharya and Jogesh Barman of the CPI (M), Gita Sengupta of the RSP, Pijush Guha of the CPI, Forward Bloc’s Gobindo Roy, and Moni Pal of the Socialist Party.