BJP demand President rule in West Bengal for Nandigram violence

New Delhi, Nov 22 (UNI) Launching a scathing attack on the Left-front government in West Bengal, the Opposition today demanded that President's rule be imposed in the state as the Centre's directions to the government under Article 355 have failed to elicit desired impact.

Initiating the debate on the Nandigram issue in the Rajya Sabha, BJP leader Sushma Swaraj said Nandigram witnessed unrelenting violence with people being killed and women raped so the Centre should impose President's rule in the state and provide justice and compensation to victims and punish the guilty.

Pointing out media reports that the CPI(M) cadre was trying to evict families residing in the refugee camps even after Union Home Minister Shivraj Patil issued directions to the state government yesterday under article 355, she said since ''Article 355 failed, now President's rule be imposed.'' Moreover, the Chair should bring a Censure Motion condemning the violence in Nandigram and it be passed unanimously as has been the precedence in earlier such incidents of violence, the BJP leader proposed.

Highlighting the plight of victims of violence during the three incidents in January, March and November this year, Ms Swaraj said that no jutice could be expected from the ruling CPI(M) which was both ''the accused and the judge'' in Nandigram incident.

She asserted that the CPI(M)'s claim that the situation in the state was under control could not be relied on as even the CRPF DG has pointed out that the state administration was not cooperating with the central forces.

CPI(M) leader Sitaram Yechury defended the Buddhadeb Bhattacharjee government, stating that Maoist were responsible for violence in Nandigram as they have launched a war against the state and an unholy alliance of ''Islamic fundamentalists, RSS, TMC and foreign-funded NGOs were supporting them for petty political gains.'' MORE UNI