Trinamool bent on stalling development of Bengal: Left Front

Kolkata, Feb 13 (PTI) The Trinamool Congress is bent onstalling development of West Bengal and has tied up with theMaoists, the ruling Left Front told a mammoth rally heretoday.

Calling upon the people to give a rebuff to the TrinamoolCongress, which he described as an "evil force", in the comingAssembly election, LF chairman Biman Bose said, "TrinamoolCongress is bent on hampering any development in the state."

The rally, a show of strength for the LF which is facingits most crucial test of survival in the next election, isattended by thousands of supporters brought from across thestate.

Bose alleged the Trinamool Congress in connivance withthe Maoists was spreading terror and instigating violence indifferent parts of West Bengal and said "development is notpossible in the absence of peace".

Evidently happy at the huge turnout, state Chief MinisterBuddhadeb Bhattacharjee said, "It is clear that we are readyfor the fight at the Assembly elections."

The Left Front, which has lost much electoral groundsince the last panchayat elections in 2008 followed by the LokSabha polls in 2009, pitched hard to show its pro-poor imagewith most leaders, including Bhattacharjee devoting much oftheir speech claiming a lot of schemes for the poor.

Bhattacharjee also attacked the Congress-led UPAgoverment at the Centre, saying it was mired in corruption andscams.

"Sky-high corruption has become the hallmark of theUPA government. We are fighting against such practice and willcontinue to do so," he said.

"Congress is a party of the wealthy and is hardlybothered by the rising prices," Bhattacharjee said.

He also took on the Trinamool Congress saying that itwas hand in glove with the Maoists and was spreading terrorand violence.

Bhattacharjee, however, admitted some local leaders andcadres had been behaving arrogantly and this had led toresentment among the people.

"I call on them to correct themselves and go to thepeople and admit mistakes," Bhattacharjee said calling on theparty supporters to fight tooth and nail to win the comingelections in the state.

The Front has been in power in the state since 1977and is for the first time faced with the a very a strongopposition in the form of Trinamool Congress, which is inalliance with the Congress.