Guv terms violence reprehensible;Mamata says outlet of people's ire

Kolkata, Nov 21 (UNI) Describing as reprehensible the violence that rocked the city today, West Bengal Governor Gopal Krishna Gandhi and leaders of political parties today called upon all sections of people to maintain peace.

However, Trinamool Congress supremo Mamata Banerjee described it as the manifestation of the people's ire against the CPI(M)-led Left Front Government on the Nandigram and Rizwanur Rahman issues.

In a statement, the Governor urged the people to refrain from all violence, and to help maintain peace and harmony.

" The violence, witnessed in Kolkata today, causing injury to several citizens and to policemen on duty and widespread damage to property is reprehensible, " he said.

Alleging that the administration had totally failed to control the situation, Ms Mamata Banerjee said the trouble started not out of any political movement, but because of the people's anger.

" It was just a manifestation of the people's anger against this Government for its role in Nandigram and in the Rizwanur Rahman issue, " she said.

She also alleged that the CPI(M) would try to use this incident to divert the people's attention from the Nandigram issue.

Observing that the situation, which had prevailed in the city, was detrimental to the integrity and harmony among the people, CPI(M) State Committee Secretary Biman Basu called for taking out peace processions and help the administration maintain peace.

" The need of the hour is to establish peace and maintain life ...we appeal to all political parties, individuals and democratic organisations to come forward to maintain peace, " he said.

CPI State Committee Secretary Manju Kumar Majumder and his Forward Bloc counterpart Ashok Ghosh also condemned the violence and urged the people to protect the communal harmony in the state.

UNI