M A I N   N E W S

Naidu meets Advani on West Bengal

NEW DELHI, Sept 14 (UNI) — Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister N. Chandrababu Naidu today discussed the West Bengal situation with Home Minister L.K. Advani.

Mr Naidu, who held a 40-minute meeting with the Home Minister, declined to elaborate or say whether he had given any suggestions to the Home Minister.

“It is for the Central Government to see how to protect law and order and promote peace.”

He said two committees had already given their reports to the government on the situation in the state. One was the NDA fact-finding mission and the other a report NDA convener and Defence Minister George Fernandes.

Mr Naidu earlier met Trinamool Congress leader Mamata Banerjee and discussed with her the situation in West Bengal.

Talking to mediapersons after meeting Ms Banerjee, he expressed concern at the law and order situation in West Bengal and said the Centre, the state government and all political parties should act together to restore peace in the violence-hit areas of the CPM ruled state.

Ms Banerjee said she had briefed Mr Naidu about the emerging political situation in West Bengal. She, however, refused to give a categorical reply when asked if she was still demanding imposition of Article 356 in the state.

Asked about TDP’s stand on the imposition of Article 356 in the state as demanded by the TMC, Mr Naidu said: “We are not talking about imposition of Article 356. Our first and foremost priority is to bring about normalcy and protect the life of the people in the state”.

To another question, the TDP chief said “there is no place for violence in a democracy” and, therefore, all parties should eschew it.

In a warning to the BJP-led government, the Left parties today asked the Centre “not to indulge in any grossly illegal and politically motivated steps such as use of Articles 356 and 355 or invoking the Disturbed Areas Act”.

A statement, issued after a meeting of four Left parties here, said the BJP-led government has embarked upon a dangerous course with regard to West Bengal.

“Violating the constitutional arrangement between the Centre and states, the Vajpayee government is seeking to interfere in matters strictly under the perview of the state government”, the statement said.

“This unjustified and undemocratic intervention initiated by the Home Ministry is meant to serve the partisan political interests of the Trinamool Congress and its leader, Mamata Banerjee. The hue and cry being raised about violence and the law and order situation is a pretext for authoritarian interference in the affairs of the state”, the Left leaders said.