New Delhi, Aug 25 (IANS) Left Front leaders from West Bengal Thursday met Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and sought his intervention over the "reign of terror" unleashed on its workers since coming to power of the Trinamool Congress-led government in the state.
Left Front chairman Biman Bose told mediapersons here that 30 of its workers had been killed and seven forced to committ suicide in the three months since the new government came to office.
"We have shown how democratic rights are being curtailed, democracy being butchered. If it continues it will be bad for Indian democracy," Bose said.
He said the prime minister assured them that whatever needs to be done will be done.
Sitaram Yechury of the Communist Party of India-Marxist that leads the Left Front said that prime minister's intervention had been sought as some actions of state government had ramifications beyond its borders.
Giving details of post-election political violence in West Bengal, Bose said 684 women had been physically assaulted, 508 molested and 23 raped. He said 3,785 people had to be hospitalized for the treatment for injuries and many more were forced not to lodge a complaint or seek hospital treatment.
He said there had been 2,064 incidents of arson and looting of houses and 14,081 people were evicted from their place of living.
Accusing the state government of "slient terror," Bose alleged that around 40,000 persons had to had to leave their homes under threat and people have been forced to pay money to the local Trinamool Congress leaders. He said thousands of Left Front activists have been implicated in false cases.
He also said there also had been attacks on the rights of the peasantry and thousands of sharecroppers had been forcibly evicted.
The Left Front leaders gave the prime minister a memorandum which substantiated their allegation of killings and other forms of political violence by giving details of the victims.
They said Left party organs have not been spared and 241 boards displaying the "Ganashakti" daily had been dismantled and thousands of its copies burnt.
The memorandum said that the Left Front leaders had apprised state governor M.K. Narayanan earlier this month of the "reign of terror unleashed" by the Trinamool Congress and had also met Chief Mminister Mamata Banerjee in June.
Referring to left-wing extremism, which the prime minister has decribed as the greatest danger to internal security, the memorandum said that the Trinamool government of the state had reversed the stand of coordinated action by the state and central governments through joint forces.
"The state administration, while keeping the joint forces idle, has concentrated its offensive against the leaders and workers of CPI-M in particular and those of the Left Front parties in general," the memorandum said, adding that even adjoining states have complained against the inaction of the state government.
The Left parites also criticised the tripartite agreement on the Darjeeling hills, saying it was departure from earlier understandings.
"The state is in unrest...Basic democratic rights of all sections of the people of the state are under threat. Even the INC (Indian National Congress), the partner of the ruling coalition, is not spared from these attacks...Anarchy has come to prevail over the rule of law," the memorandum said and urged the prime minister to take immediate remedial measures to restore peace and normalcy in the state.
Replying to queries, Bose said they had not sought central action under Article 355 and 356.
The Left Fornt in West Bengal comprises 10 parties, including the Communist Party of India, the Revolutionary Socialist Party and the Forward Bloc.