M A I N   N E W S

PM takes on Left Front, calls for change in West Bengal
Subhrangshu Gupta
Tribune News Service

Kolkata, April 23
Prime Minister Manmohan Singh today expressed concern over the law and order situation in West Bengal and called for a political change by ousting the Front and electing the Congress-Trinamool Congress alliance.

"You gave the Left Front 34 years to rule. Over this period, the chariot of the administration has come to a halt. The government has no concrete policy about agriculture and industry. It has no clear vision for the future. Now is the time for a change," the Prime Minister said, while addressing a joint campaign with Trinamool Congress supremo Mamata Banerjee at Dum Dum before the third phase of Assembly elections in the state.

Union Finance Minister Pranab Mukherjee, AICC general secretary Shakeel Ahmed and Union Minister Saugata Roy (TMC) shared the dais with the PM.

The law and order situation in the state is a matter of grave concern, said the PM. “The Centre has to deploy forces in places like (Maoist dominated) Jhargram to keep the situation under control," he said. He said if the Congress-Trinamool Congress combine came to power after the elections, its first task would be to bring peace and all-round development.

Prior to his meeting at Dum Dum , the Prime Minister also addressed another meeting at Katwa (Burdwan) soon after landing at Panaghar airport from New Delhi. The Prime Minister flayed the Left Front government for misusing crores of Central funds sanctioned for the uplift of the poor, backward classes and the minorities.

He claimed that the state government had kept 70% of the sanctioned funds unspent. In sharp contrast, other states like Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka, Assam and Haryana have done a commendable job, he said, adding that even small states like Manipore and Nagaland had performed better than West Bengal. The Prime Minister was confident that under Mamata Banerjee’s chief ministership the state would once again turn into an ideal one with rapid progress in education, healthcare and other sectors.(With PTI inputs)