Partisan attitude of Women Commission: Mahila Congress alleges

Kolkata, May 5 (UNI) West Bengal Pradesh Mahila Congress today accused the State Mahila Commission of failing to protect the lives of women and children in Nandigram.

"The State Mahila Commission has failed to safeguarding the lives of women and children of Nandigram and its action is an outcome of partisan attitude", WBPMC president Chandrima Bhattacharya told a news conference.

She said " all the members the Commission are active members of different political parties forming the ruling Left Front Government," hence the partian attitude of the Commission.

She claimed the Women Commission had only visited the Tamluk hospital but it had overlooked the areas where women were tortured and murdered.

She also alleged that many intellectuals, writers, actors and social activists had faced wraths of the CPI(M) cadres and the state administration had failed to tackle the situation.

"We have sent a letter to the National Commission for Women's chief Girija Vyas and urged her to conduct a probe on March 14 incidents of Nandigram where 14 people were killed in police firing by visting the toubled areas and esnure the safeguarding of life and property of women," she said.

She said appeals were made to Prime Minister Manmohan Singh seeking his intervention for protecting West Bengal against internal disturbance under Article 355 of the Indian Constitution and to ensure that the government was run in accordance with the Constitution.

Ms Bhattacharjee said they will launch agitational programmes from May 14 to December 9 including the 18-day law violation, torch light rally, minority women convention to protest the Nandigram killings, death of tea garden workers and reopening of closed tea estates.

UNI