Kolkata:
An angry West Bengal Chief Minister Buddhadeb Bhattacharjee on Tuesday faxed his response to Home Minister P Chidambaram after receiving a letter from him asking him to control violence in his state. Buddhadeb had earlier said he will give a 'fitting reply' to the Home Minster's letter to him.
The letter from Chidambaram had also ordered the Chief Minister to disband armed cadres of his party, the CPM. Bhattacharjee and other Left members had said they have no doubt that the letter was politically motivated to keep Mamata Banerjee happy. Banerjee's party, the Trinamool Congress or TMC, is a key ally of the Congress-led UPA government at the Centre.
As Chidambaram's letter was made public before it was received by Buddhadeb Bhattacharjee, he also returned the favour by sharing the gist of his reply at a rally on Monday.
"Chidambaram has written a letter. The letter has been in public for five days. I got it today. I will reply tomorrow. I will give a good reply. Chidambaram has given a letter to keep the TMC happy. I will ask him, 'Do you support the TMC which supports the Maoists?'" he had said.
"The media is fully briefed about the letter even before the Chief Minister gets it. This shows that the purpose of the letter is to serve the political interests of the Trinamool Congress which is part of the Union Government," the CPI (M) Politburo said in a statement in New Delhi.
In his letter, Chidambaram had questioned the West Bengal government on its use of central forces in the state, saying the killing of activists of political parties point to a "virtual collapse" of law and order.
His letter came as Mamata alleged misuse of central security forces in the state and offered to quit if her charge was proved wrong. Senior Congress leader Pranab Mukherjee, known to be trusted and liked by Mamata, had echoed her party line.
"In the last 34 years of Left rule in West Bengal, murders and killings have increased. There is a jungle raj going on. Six hundred Congress supporters have been killed in Murshidabad. If the government can't control law and order, why should anyone listen to this government?" Pranab had said.
The letter from Chidambaram had also ordered the Chief Minister to disband armed cadres of his party, the CPM. Bhattacharjee and other Left members had said they have no doubt that the letter was politically motivated to keep Mamata Banerjee happy. Banerjee's party, the Trinamool Congress or TMC, is a key ally of the Congress-led UPA government at the Centre.
As Chidambaram's letter was made public before it was received by Buddhadeb Bhattacharjee, he also returned the favour by sharing the gist of his reply at a rally on Monday.
"Chidambaram has written a letter. The letter has been in public for five days. I got it today. I will reply tomorrow. I will give a good reply. Chidambaram has given a letter to keep the TMC happy. I will ask him, 'Do you support the TMC which supports the Maoists?'" he had said.
"The media is fully briefed about the letter even before the Chief Minister gets it. This shows that the purpose of the letter is to serve the political interests of the Trinamool Congress which is part of the Union Government," the CPI (M) Politburo said in a statement in New Delhi.
In his letter, Chidambaram had questioned the West Bengal government on its use of central forces in the state, saying the killing of activists of political parties point to a "virtual collapse" of law and order.
His letter came as Mamata alleged misuse of central security forces in the state and offered to quit if her charge was proved wrong. Senior Congress leader Pranab Mukherjee, known to be trusted and liked by Mamata, had echoed her party line.
"In the last 34 years of Left rule in West Bengal, murders and killings have increased. There is a jungle raj going on. Six hundred Congress supporters have been killed in Murshidabad. If the government can't control law and order, why should anyone listen to this government?" Pranab had said.
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