Claiming that the Mamata Banerjee government had failed on all fronts, CPI(M) general secretary Prakash Karat on Saturday said that the people of West Bengal must have realised now what harm has been done by voting into office such a party. “This government has failed on all fronts. Farmers are committing suicides and so are employees of state transport corporations. There has been mulnutrition death in tea gardens. There has been an alarming rise in crimes against women. Cases of extortion have also gone up. And the Trinamul Congress workers are also fighting among themselves,” he added. He was addressing the media after the conclusion of CPI(M)’s three-day central committee meeting in the city.
The CPI(M) central committee also decided to organise four jathas (processions) from different parts of the country from February 25 to protest the UPA government’s alleged anti-people policies. “The jatha from the south (Kanyakumari ) will be led by Ramchandra Pillai, the jatha from east (Kolkata) by myself, the jatha from the west (Mumbai) by Sitaram Yechuri and from the north (Amritsar) by Brinda Karat,” he said.
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Chautala will contest polls, stay INLD chief
Chandigarh, Jan. 19: The INLD on Saturday announced that Om Parkash Chautala would continue to lead the party and also contest the Haryana Assembly elections, due in 2014, despite his conviction by a Delhi court in a case of illegal recruitment of over 3,000 junior basic trained teachers in the state. Chautala, 78, and his son Ajay would contest the state polls, Indian National Lok Dal state president Ashok Arora told reporters here.
Former Haryana chief minister Om Prakash Chautala, his MLA son Ajay Chautala and 53 others, including two IAS officers, were convicted on corruption and other charges by a Delhi court for illegally recruiting 3,206 junior teachers 12 years back.
“The verdict of the Delhi court is not final. The party will challenge the decision in a higher court and both will come out clean as ultimately the truth will prevail,” he said, adding that there is no bar on sitting MLAs and MPs, who have been convicted, to contest elections. Stating that the party would challenge the verdict after the quantum of sentence is announced on January 22, Mr Arora said the INLD was fully prepared to face any situation, including what he described was a vilification campaign. — PTI