UPA govt help CPI(M) cover up Nandigram killings: Fernandes

New Delhi, Apr 20 (UNI) NDA Convenor George Fernandes today charged UPA government and Congress President Sonia Gandhi with assisting the CPI(M)-led West Bengal government's efforts to cover ''genocide'' in Nandigram and demanded that the UPA government should end interference in CBI investigation into the killings and deploy central forces there.

Mr Fernandes told reporters here that even after five weeks of killing of 14 people and rape of women in Nandigram, the Buddhadeb Bhattacharjee Government of West Bengal was ''unrepentant'' and ''what is most shameful is that the UPA government at the Centre is actively assisting the communists in covering up the incident.'' He demanded that the state government must suspend police officers and arrest CPI(M) cadres who ''donned police uniforms and fired on unarmed villagers who were offering prayers, raided homes and raped women.'' He also demanded arrest of Tamluk MP Lakhsman Seth who instigated the violence and was still terrorising the people of Nandigram. The NDA leader also demanded that a National Commission for Women delegation be sent to meet the rape victims.

Despite damning evidence, the ''shameless communist governemnt has not taken any administrative action against police officials who allowed the party cadre to don their uniform. The Tamluk MP of CPI(M) who stage managed the whole operation and has been responsible for at at least 30 killings since January 3, 2007 was still going around threatening people,'' he charged.

Pointing out that an NDA delegation had visited the site after the incident and submitted its report to the President APJ Abdul Kalam, Mr Fernandes said that even after so many weeks nothing happened which leads to only one conclusion that there was a ''collusion between the UPA government, Marxists and state government.'' Asked why was he blaming Ms Gandhi for this inaction and not Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, he said that it was because the UPA chairperson was calling the shots.

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