Mamata sees conspiracy to disrupt peace in Darjeeling; blasts Jharkhand for dam water release

Calcutta, Jul 27 (PTI): West Bengal’s Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee claimed on Saturday that a conspiracy was being hatched to dismiss her government, which was performing well.

Peace had been restored in the (Darjeeling) hills and Junglemahal, but attempts were being made to create fresh trouble there, Mamata told the state legislative assembly during the one-day special session to pass the budget.

She said that those during whose time the state had witnessed terror were now raising a hue and cry about it. Mamata said that during in the previous two rural polls in 2003 and 2008 [when the Left Front was in power], a total of 75 people had died in violence. This time, only nine people had died in violence. She said that there were 159 poll-related violent incidents in 2008, against 98 this time.

Mamata asked whether those killed while making bombs would be included in the casualty list as poll-related deaths. There was a need for changing the definition for terming them as poll-related deaths, she said.

Stating that people should be trusted in a democracy, she asked what was the use of making bombs in a democracy.

She said that there would be a executive inquiry into cases of police firing during the polls.

Mamata also took exception to the Jharkhand government’s decision to release water from a dam without notifying the West Bengal government, as the 1.75lakh cusecs of water now threatens villages in West Midnapore district that are downstream of the dam.

The water was released from the dam at 3am without any consultation or information. West Bengal was informed of it at 6am, Mamata told the assembly.

Many areas in West Midnapore district were faced with the threat of inundation, she said.

“I condemn the act in the House. We will register a protest with the Jharkhand government. We will not spare them if there is any loss in our state due to release of the water,” she said.

In a veiled reference to the Congress-JMM coalition in Jharkhand, she said “The attitude will be different if there is a government other than Congress. This is unacceptable.”