After a meeting of the RSP’s state secretariat, the highest executive body of the party, state secretary Debabrata Banerjee said: “The CPM has conspired to implicate Naskar in the case. They are saying that a stockpile of crude bombs were kept inside Naskar’s residence in Basanti that exploded leading to the death of Gouri Naskar, the minister’s relative.”

On May 14, the armed cadres of the CPM and the RSP clashed at Basanti during the second phase of panchayat polling in which six RSP supporters were killed. CPM cadres allegedly hurled a bomb at Naskar’s house, resulting in the death of his daughter-in-law Gouri.

“They are miscreants sheltered by the CPM. How can the Left Front chairman Biman Bose say that bombs were kept inside the minister’s house? Even the CID is confirming the government’s version. We have no trust in the investigating agency,” Banerjee said and added that his party would raise the issue in the next meeting of the left Front.

When asked whether they will demand a CBI inquiry into the incident, another senior RSP leader Kshiti Goswami said: “We will explore legal and other possibilities.”

The Left Front chairman Biman Bose said, “Naskar stays in another house. How can the minister be implicated?”

With polls over, CPM urges Front partners to douse the flames
Fearing more violence as the poll results pour in, the CPM state secretary, Biman Bose appealed to all the political parties to maintain peace and harmony and ensure that no post-poll violence takes place. Speaking in a press conference today, he expressed his desire to end the violence, “Enough is enough. We should stop all kinds of violence right now.”

Bose said, “I have spoken to the Front leaders and leaders of our party. To avoid post-poll clashes, we have decided not to carry out a victory procession.”

Bose said that the party is being informed of the situation in various parts of the state. “To avoid clashes in sensitive areas, one should hold all-party meeting with the local administration,” added Bose.

He said that the CPM was deeply concerned over the poll violence and expressed its grief over the deaths, irrespective of political affiliations of the victims. Bose said that while he can request the Opposition to cooperate in curbing violence, he cannot dictate them to follow the party’s decision. “I hope the Opposition will appreciate our move,” said Bose. The political parties, including the Left Front allies, are blaming the CPM for ugly events.

All parties, including the Congress and the CPM allies like RSP and Forward Bloc, were the victims of the poll violence.

Bloc wants action against CPM for burning homes
The rift between the CPM and its Left Front partner Forward Bloc is widening up. The Minister of Cooperation Rabindra Ghosh wrote to Home Secretary Asok Mohan Chakrabarti on Tuesday, asking him to take action against the CPM cadres, who beat up the Bloc supporters in Uluberia and set their houses on fire. The minister alleged that even though an FIR was lodged against the miscreants at the Shyampur police station, the police have not taken any action.

“The CPM members looted 124 houses belonging to our supporters. Nearly 1,000 of our supporters are living on boats on the banks of the river Bhagirathi at Falta. But, they are not being allowed to return,” Ghosh told The Indian Express.

He took pains to remind that these oustees were not the supporters of the Trinamool Congress. “They belong to a party that is a part of the Left Front, yet they are being meted out such treatment,” said Ghosh.

The minister had already complained to the home secretary about police inaction in facilitating the safe return of the homeless Bloc supporters.

Uluberia is a stronghold of the Bloc, as out of the nine gram panchayats, five are held by the Bloc, two by the CPM and two are with the TMC.