“Of the 167 dead, 71 CPM workers were killed in West Midnapore district alone during the period,” party’s politburo member and state secretary Biman Bose told reporters on the first day of its three-day central committee meeting here. To assist families of “our martyrs”, the CPM has launched a fund-raising drive, he said, urging everyone to donate for the cause.

On Trinamool Congress chief Mamata Banerjee’s claim that her partymen were under attack from CPM workers, Bose said, “It is on the contrary...TMC chief says her party workers are being attacked and she wants peace, but in effect, our workers are being killed. This is strange.”

Meanwhile, CPM’s Tripura state secretary Bijan Dhar handed over a cheque of Rs 10 lakh on behalf of his party unit to help the families of those killed in political violence in the state.

Maoist threat Discussed
The party leaders also discussed the Maoist threat in West Bengal. Politburo member Brinda Karat told reporters that mainly major political developments and the Maoist threat in West Bengal formed part of discussion at the central committee meeting.

Meanwhile, the CPM’s next party congress is likely to be deferred due to the Assembly elections in West Bengal and Kerala, party insiders hinted today.