Kolkata: Trinamool Congress chief Mamata Banerjee on Wednesday demanded the resignation of West Bengal Chief Minister Buddhadeb Bhattacharjee after the Centre said that armed camps existed in West Midnapore and the cadre of these camps were moving about with weapons. "A chief minister takes the oath of upholding the Constitution. Our chief minister has, however, violated its provisions allowing his party cadre to set up armed camps. After the (Union) Home Minister has said that such camps existed in the state, how can the chief minister remain in office?"
Banerjee told a Trinamool Congress rally here. Stating that she had been vociferous for some time about the existence of such camps, Banerjee said, "Our statements were dismissed then. But, I have read in the papers that even Governor (M K Narayanan) had reported to the Centre about these camps. What has the chief minister to say now?" Banerjee alleged that a section of police officials were helping in arming the CPI(M) cadre, who were donning police uniforms to carry out killings. "CPI(M) cadre had entered Nandigram in the same manner by wearing police uniform. We want all arms stockpiled by the CPI(M) in the camps to be seized. We want West Bengal to be free from terror," the Railway Minister said.
Dismissing the CPI(M)'s allegation of a Maoist- Trinamool Congress nexus, Banerjee said that a number of her party workers had been killed in Maoist attacks and her party did not support killing. Pointing out that the CPI(M) had won six Lok Sabha seats from the Maoist-dominated Bankura, Purulia and West Midnapore in the last elections, she said, "If the Trinamool Congress hobbnobbed with Maoists, how has the CPI(M) won the Lok Sabha seats in Maoist areas? By giving a vote boycott call, the Maoists had given an advantage to the CPI(M)." Banerjee said that her party did not have a single assembly seat from these areas and had won in only two or three municipalities in the three Maoist-dominated districts. PTI
