Priya slammed for "maligning" CPM

Statesman News Service

MALDA, Sept. 11: The CPI-M leaders of Malda today reacted sharply to the Union I&B and parliamentary affairs minister, Mr Priya Ranjan Das Munshi’s allegation that Mr Sailen Sarkar, the CPI-M’s candidate for the Malda Lok Sabha bypoll, had been trying to influence the district administration officials and the election observers in the run-up to the polls. Mr Das Munshi had made this comment while addressing a Press conference here last Saturday. Mr Das Munshi had said that the Congress had brought the matter to the notice of the Election Commission, seeking the appointment of at least seven observers to conduct free and fair poll here. The Malda district secretary of the CPI-M, Mr Jiban Moitra, while rubbishing the allegation, said: “Mr Das Munshi has been trying to malign our party’s image by making baseless allegations. Being a Union minister, how can he hold meeting with the returning officer and observers? Is it not a violation of the EC’s model code of conduct?” The CPI-M leaders also said that the EC had decided to deploy Central paramilitary forces in 40 per cent polling stations, based on their observation and experiences from the last Assembly poll. “Our candidates will fare better if the EC deploys CPMF in all the polling stations. The LF workers do not fear the CMPF personnel which was proved in the last Assembly election,” Mr Shyamal Chakraborty, a CPI-M leader, said. Meanwhile, the chief minister, Mr Buddhadeb Bhattacharjee’s recent campaign here in favour of Mr Sailen Sarkar has apparently worried the Congress leaders here. Mr Bhattacharjee had blamed the Centre for massive erosion here, much to the chagrin of the Congress leaders. Counter-challenging the CM, Mr Das Munshi, said: “The state government could not utilise the allotted funds meant for the anti-erosion project, aggravating the erosion situation here.” He added: “In the Ninth Plan, a sum of Rs 17.88 crore and in the Tenth Plan, a sum of Rs 40.62 crore was allotted to West Bengal for anti-erosion measures, but the state government failed to check erosion. The Farakka Barrage Project had received Rs 75 crore in the 10th Plan and utilised Rs 42 crore properly. The remaining Rs 33 crore will be be spent later.” On the other hand, the CPI-M today circulated a leaflet here, claiming that Mr Sailen Sarkar, in the capacity of state parliamentary affairs minister, led a team of all political parties in New Delhi recently and discussed the erosion problem with the Union minister for water resources and development, Prof. Saifuddin Soz. The CPI-M has printed a group photograph, in which Mr Sarkar could be seen with Prof. Soz. To counter the CPI-M’s campaign, the Congress leaders are planning to bring Prof. Saiffudin Soz here to campaign in favour of the Congress candidate, Mr AH Khan Choudhury. They are also planning to invite Mr Santosh Mohan Deb, former Union water resources minister. Union defence minister Mr Pranab Mukherjee reached here today. He will be campaigning in rural belts.#