CPI-M rally blasts Mamata govt

"The government said nothing happened. Are the farmers taking poison for nothing? The government said these farmers took massive loans of crores. What is the government saying?' asked Bhattacharjee.

"The danger will only rise. It will happen with jute and potatoes also. The farmers are not getting their price. Even the little wheat cultivation is in question. There would be starvation again," he said.

"Is this the change people wanted? Had the farmers wanted this change," Bhattacharjee asked.

Bhattacharjee said the Panchayats were rendered ineffective by the government.

"There is no Panchayat now in the villages. The government want to rule by the officials. Is this the change we had wanted?" asked Bhattacharjee.

He said in the past nine months, the government could not proceed a wee bit in industrialization.

Bhattacharjee said even the transport employees are not getting their salaries and even pension was stopped.

"A transport worker even committed suicide. Can this go on? The government says there is no money, but the government has enough to splurge on festivals in places like Digha," said Bhattacharjee.

The government shamelessly increased the salaries of ministers instead, he said.

Pointing out at child deaths, he said the government has no concern over the deaths.

Left Front chairman and CPI-M state chief Biman Bose asked the party workers to go to the people and not be complacent.

"Go to the people. Visit the families and keep in touch with them," Biman Bose told the gathering.

Prakash Karat also used the platform to attack the central government on issues like price rise and corruption, particularly the 2G scam.

"The government [central] raised petro prices 15 times. Only for the past two months they did not hike because of the elections in the five states. The polls will end and they will again start hiking the price of petrol and diesel," Karat said.

He said never had there been such farmers´ suicides in West Bengal during the Left rule.

"About 33 farmers have have committed suicide in Bengal," Karat said.

Karat said the 2G licences were cancelled by the Supreme Court recently, but "the union government is shameless."

Meanwhile, at the rally, the CPI-M said the anti-socials are raring their heads again and the irresponsible government was making statements even before verifying the truth.

Biman Bose said the Chief Minister (Mamata Banerjee) herself is a woman but she said the rape was a fabricated lie to malign her even before inquiry.

Buddhadeb Bhattacharjee said with the new government in power the anti-social elements are back since "they feel it is their government."

Soon after the rally, the Trinamool called a press conference to parry the allegations.

"Hundreds of farmers, about 1200 a year, had died in the Left rule. The CPI-M entertainment show at Brigade says nothing new," said Trinamool Congress leader and state industry minister Partha Chattopadhayay.

"Who are talking about farmers? The perpetrators of Singur and Nandigram? The party that killed farmers, raped their women, are talking about the farmers," said Chattopadhayay.