CM says yes to any peace initiative for Nandigram

Kolkata, May 11 (UNI) Boosting the peace process for Nandigram, Chief Minister Buddhadeb Bhattacharjee today accepted the wishes of the Left Front partners and the Opposition for a revised modality for holding all-party talks.

At an urgent meeting to be held on May 14, the ruling Left Front is likely to decide the date for the proposed all-party talks.

'' The Chief Minister told me that he is open to any kind of initiative for restoration of peace in Nandigram, '' Water Resources Minister Nandagopal Bhattacharya told reporters.

Mr Bhattacharya met the Chief Minister at his chamber in the Writers' Buildings to convey the proposal of three smaller Front partners that a state-level meeting of all political parties should precede a district-level one.

The proposal reversed the earlier decision taken at a Left Front meeting for holding a district-level all-party meeting to identify the problems plauging Nandigram before going for a detailed discussion at the state-level.

'' Since the proposal being raised now is different from what the Left parterns had decided earlier, it is ncessary that a Left Front meeting takes a decision on it, '' CPI(M) state Committee Secretary Biman Basu told reporters after the party's state secretriat meeting.

The meeting, attended among others by Chief Minister Buddhadeb Bhattacharjee and veteran CPI(M) leader Jyoti Basu, discussed the modalities for the proposed all-party talks.

Earlier in the day, veteran Forward Bloc leader Ashok Ghosh telephoned the Front Chairman apprising him of the opinion of the three smaller partners.

Mr Ghosh was requested by Trinamool Congress chief Mamata Banerjee to convene an all-party meeting to pave way for normalising the situation in the strife-torn Nandigram.

UNI