KPCC team demands West Bengal CM's resignation

Thiruvananthapuram, Mar 21 (UNI) A five-member Congress delegation from Kerala that returned from Nandigram today demanded the resignation of West Bengal Chief Minister Buddadeb Bhattacharjee owning moral responsibility for the police firing on farmers.

Talking to newspersons here, KPCC president Ramesh Chennithala, who led the team, said the party would launch a fund collection drive on April 2 for the victims of Nandigram violence.

He said the entire fund, to be collected from all the 140 Assembly constituencies in the state, would be given to the victims of the police firing.

The PCC team visited the affected areas and a few hospital where the injured were convalescing, he said alleging that the police and the CPI(M) supporters unleashed a brutal attack on farmers.

He also sought a probe by a woman judge of the Supreme Court into the allegation that women were sexually assaulted during the violence.

He also criticised CPI(M) state secretary Pinnarayi Vijayan and Chief Minister V S Achuthanandan for defending police brutality.

UNI