BJP demands President's rule in West Bengal

Kochi, Mar 31 (UNI) The BJP today demanded that the Buddhadeb Bhattacharya government be dismissed and President's rule imposed in the state, with the Chief Minister owning responsibility for the incidents in Nandigram, in which at least 14 persons were killed.

Addressing a press conference here, BJP West Bengal General Secretary Rahul Sinha alleged that the Congress, to save its government at the Centre, was ''influencing the CBI so that it cannot carry out an impartial probe into the March 14 incidents at Nandigram''.

Mr Sinha, who was on a three-day visit to Kerala, condemned the Congress for being a mute spectator to the Nandigram incidents and said no senior government functionary, including the Prime Minister, the Home Minister, or the Congress President, had visited the area.

As Mr Bhattacharya had acknowledged the responsibility for the Nandigram mayhem, he should be arrested and criminal proceedings be started against him, Mr Sinha said.

Accusing the CPM-led Left Front, the BJP leader claimed that the state government had conspired with local and international business houses to dispose off valuable land in the name of industrialisation.

''More than 60,000 industrial units are lying closed in West Bengal. Rather than reviving these units the government is more interested in selling fertile, agriculture land in the name of industrialisation. We will oppose this tooth and nail'', he added.

Stating that the Nandigram violence was the latest episode in the CPM ''hooliganism'', Mr Sinha said the state had witnessed many such episodes earlier. This time the CPM cadres' mis-doings had come to light because of the Governor's reaction and the West Bengal high court ordering a CBI probe into the matter.

UNI