All-party peace meeting on Nandigram begins

Kolkata, May 24(UNI) Amid boycott and mistrust, the all-party meeting on Nandigram began here today to determine ways, for the first time since Nandigram went up in flames, to restore peace in the strife-torn area.

Though Chief Minister Buddhadeb Bhattacharjee and CPI(M) state Secretary Biman Basu were not present, Trinamool Congress supremo Mamata Banerjee, besides representatives from most other parties, including the CPI(M), were attending the meeting.

The crucial meet, convened by Forward Bloc state Secretary Ashok Ghosh, will try to evolve ways to reach a consensus on bringing back normality in Nandigram.

The area remained a political hotbed for more than four months over the issue of setting up of a chemical hub, wedging a sharp political divide among the local people, triggering unabated violence even though the Left Front Government later backed out on the project.

Refusing to die down, the unrest stalled all economic and development activities in Nandigram and even denied the writ of the administration to run in Nandigram which virtually remained cut off from the rest of the state with members of the Trinamool Congress-led Bhoomi Uchched Protirodh Committee digging up roads and keeping vigil against entry of outsiders.

Altogether 23 people, including 14 killed in the March 14 police firing, died in the area since January last while more than 4,000 people had been evicted and hundreds of houses torched in the continuing armed rivalry.

Though the all-party meeting appears to be a breakthrough in the stalemate over Nandigram, confusion arose over the insistence of the Trinamool Congress that those guilty for the alleged mass killing and rape on March 14 be punished first to perpetuate peace in the area.

CPI(M) Central Committee member Shyamal Chakraborty, CPI(M) State Secretariat member Madan Ghosh, Transport Minister Subhash Chakraborty, CPI State Secretary Manju Kumar Majumdar, Pradesh Congress Working President Pradip Bhattacharjee, former PCC chief Somen Mitra, Congress Lgislature Party leader Manas Bhunia, convener Mr Ashok Ghosh and RSP Minister Kshiti Goswami are among the political leaders joining the dialogues.

The parties not invited in the meeting were -- the BJP and Left Front partners Revolutionary Communist Party of India (RCPI) and Biplabi Bangla Congress--all without any representation in the state Assembly. An invitation extended to the CPI(ML) Liberation, also non existent in the legislature, was later revoked.

Jamait-e-Ulema-I-Hind, which had been playing a major role in the Nandigram agitation, has also not been called in the meeting because of its non-political entity.

SUCI has boycotted the meeting describing it as ''futile'', while the BJP, one of the few parties not invited, has alleged that it is a ''farce''. Kept away from the talks after getting invitation, the CPI(ML) Liberation has said the party is skeptic about the success of the peace process.

UNI