Brinda says W B Govenor should wait for probe findings

New Delhi, Apr 1 (UNI) Defending West Bengal Chief Minister Buddhadeb Bhattacharjee's handling of the Nandigram issue, Communist Party of India (Marxist) Polit Bureau Member and MP Brinda Karat today said she would like West Bengal Governor Gopal Gandhi to wait for the findigs of the inquiries into the Nandigram episode to answer his concerns.

She also expressed her agreement with Left Front Chairman Biman Bose's criticism, ''putting aside the language'', of the Kolkata High Court ordering a CBI inquiry into the killings.

Ms Karat gave her views over the issue in an interview with the 'Devil's Advocate' programme of the CNN-IBN TV channel to be broadcast tonight.

When asked about the Governor's criticism of the police action in Nandigram and his reported suggestion for atonement by the officails responsible for the episode, Ms Karat said first one has to fix responsibility for that, only then can one think of who needs atonement.

She, however, said she would not like to make any further comment on the governor's statements.

''The Governor is a constitutional authority. There is an investigation going on into the whole episode and that would answer his concerns in the matter,'' said Ms Karat.

When pointed out to another of Mr Gandhi's statement that the government should mitigate the effect of what happened in Nandigram, the CPI(M) leader said,''I am not sure what the honourable Governor meant by that. Anyway, he has met Chief Minister Buddhadeb Bhattacharjee and must have explained his view point to him.''.

In response to the reported public crititcism of the Kolkata High Court by Left Front Chairman Biman Bose for ordering a CBI inquiry into the Nandigram killings, Ms Karat said there was a case in the Supreme Court, which is being referred to a larger bench as to whether the courts should order inquiries without giving state governments a chance.

When her attention was drawn to the language used by Mr Bose who had reportedly described the High Court as ''a giant crab that was eating into the very foundation of democracy'' she said she had not come across such an statement herself, and would not like to comment on it, but the issue that has been raised by Mr Bose was substantive.'' Replying to a question about the criticism of the West Bengal government by its allies, including former Chief Minister Jyoti Basu, in the Left Front Ms Karat said, she was hopeful that finally they would be persuaded to see reality.

While admitting that there were ups and downs in a relationship, she asserted that most of the differences with the allies over the Nandigram issue had been resolved in the March 17 meeting.

She said that the CPI(M) and all its allies have a collective responsibility to the people of the state to run the Front, and hoped that it would survive all crises.

Ms Karat said her party deeply regretted and was deeply distressed over the killing of the poor in Nandigram, but was would say that ''there was a context to it,''.

UNI