Call all-party meet: Asok

Siliguri, April 14: Former Bengal minister and CPM leader Asok Bhattacharya today demanded that the administration call an all-party meeting to “restore peace and democracy” in Siliguri in the wake of the clashes between the supporters of the Left Front and the Trinamul Congress in the town on April 10. “Keeping in view the recent unrest in Siliguri following the attack on the CPM office on Hill Cart Road and arrest of several members of our party, the administration should call an all-party meeting to restore peace and democracy here. We are of the opinion that the recent incidents are against the political culture of the town,” said Bhattacharya, who is also the convenor of the Darjeeling district Left Front. More than 50 Left Front leaders and supporters, including Bhattacharya, had been held here on April 10 following repeated clashes between cadres of the Left and Trinamul. The clash broke when the Trinamul had taken out a rally in Siliguri town to protest the attack on finance minister Amit Mitra by alleged Left activists in Delhi. The former urban development minister said the CPM and different wings would not hold any public events in Siliguri for few a days in order to avoid any confrontation with political rivals. “Our supporters have been told to refrain from holding any public meetings or taking out rallies in Siliguri and the surrounding areas for sometime to avoid clashes with other parties. The leader of the Opposition in the Bengal Assembly, Surjya Kanta Mishra, is expected to visit Siliguri on April 19. He will hold an indoor meeting with party supporters,” said Bhattacharya. A Left team today submitted a memorandum to Siliguri deputy police commissioner O.G. Paul and demanded her intervention to stop police atrocities on Left workers.