Mamata questions success of Lalgarh operations

October 14th, 2009 KOLKATA - Railway Minister and Trinamool Congress chief Mamata Banerjee Wednesday demanded withdrawal of central forces from West Bengal's troubled Lalgarh region. "I want the central forces to be withdrawn from Lalgarh as the Communist Party of India-Marxist (CPI-M)-led Left Front government in the state is torturing innocent villagers in a name of (anti-) Maoist operations there," she said.

October 10th, 2009 KOLKATA - Deploying paramilitary forces in West Bengal's violence-hit Lalgarh was a "mistake" committed by the Congress-led United Progressive Alliance (UPA) government, Railway Minister and Trinamool Congress chief Mamata Banerjee said Saturday. I still think that the Lalgarh operation was a mistake.

July 30th, 2009 KOLKATA - As Railway Minister Mamata Banerjee accused the CPI (M) of committing atrocities in West Bengal for political gains, politburo Member Sitaram Yechuri has charged the Trinamool Congress of seeking Centre's intervention to legalize its violent acts against the communist party. "We have brought it to the their notice (Centre) that in the name of the Maoists the atrocities are going on with the children, students and the common people and the Maoists are not even been arrested by the state government.

July 27th, 2009 BASAPARA - The centre has directed West Bengal to ensure fool-proof security arrangements for a high-profile Trinamool Congress delegation that is to visit trouble-torn Lalgarh area Tuesday, party chief and Railway Minister Mamata Banerjee said. Disclosing this Monday at a rally in this Birbhum district area, Banerjee said she had informed the centre about the visit of a three-member party delegation to Lalgarh in West Midnapore district.

July 22nd, 2009 KOLKATA - Railways Minister and Trinamool Congress supremo Mamata Banerjee Wednesday demanded an end to the joint security operation against Maoist rebels in the trouble-torn belt of Lalgarh in West Bengal. "The joint operation should stop," Banerjee said and emphasised the need for talks with Maoists to solve the issue.

July 3rd, 2009 KOLKATA - Trinamool Congress chief and Railways Minister Mamata Banerjee Friday lost no opportunity to needle West Bengal's ruling Left Front when she proposed a new rail line from Singur to Nandigram and sops for Lalgarh - areas in the state that have witnessed violent anti-Left agitations. Exhibiting shrewd political sense in her wide array of proposals for West Bengal in the 2009-10 rail budget, arguably the highest sops the state has got since independence, Banerjee Friday let go no opportunity to woo her votebank with an eye to the 2011 state polls.

June 29th, 2009 KOLKATA - The central government should carry out a statewide operation by deploying central forces to recover illegal firearms from different parts of West Bengal, Railways Minister and Trinamool Congress chief Mamata Banerjee said here Monday. "The Centre should take up this responsibility and conduct operations to recover illegal firearms from across the state," she said.

June 25th, 2009 NEW DELHI - Railway Minister Mamata Banerjee Thursday said the whole Lalgarh incident was stage-managed by the ruling Left Front, and asked Prime Minister Manmohan Singh not to side with the Communist Party of India-Marxist (CPI-M). "They (CPI-M) have created Maoists in the country and now they are using it to their own end to regain their lost ground," Banerjee told reporters here.

June 24th, 2009 KOLKATA - The West Bengal Government on Wednesday claimed the situation in Maoist-infested Lalgarh was returning to normal, as the operations by security forces entered 5th day on Wednesday. The operation by security forces and State police is being carried out to reclaim areas taken over by Maoist-backed tribals at Lalgarh in West Midnapore district.

June 22nd, 2009 JANGIPUR - The Congress would sort out through talks its misunderstandings with partner Trinamool Congress on the operations against Maoists in West Bengal's Lalgarh area, Finance Minister and Congress leader Pranab Mukherjee said here Monday. Mukherjee said he would speak to Trinamool Congress chief and Railways Minister Mamata Banerjee, who has expressed her unhappiness over being kept in the dark on the operations carried out by the central and state security forces in West Midnapore's Lalgarh area.

June 21st, 2009 MIDNAPORE - Two central ministers of state were Sunday obstructed allegedly by Communist Party of India-Marxist (CPI-M) activists at Salboni in West Midnapore district when they were going to troubled areas with relief for people who have fled homes after the security operation began at Lalgarh. Minister of State for Rural Development Sisir Adhikari and Minister of State for Shipping Mukul Roy, both from the Trinamool Congress, had driven to Salboni on way to Pirakata and Goaltore following instructions of party chief, Railway Minister Mamata Banerjee.

June 21st, 2009 NEW DELHI - The Left parties Sunday appealed to Prime Minister Manmohan Singh to ensure that the joint operations against the Maoist rebels in Lalgarh of West Bengal are not adversely complicated by utterances and actions" of some ministers. We have learnt through media reports that some members of the union council of ministers are proceeding to visit the affected areas and are making public comments which are adversely complicating the operations against the Maoists, said the letter written by the four parties.

June 21st, 2009 KOLKATA - The West Bengal government Sunday appealed to central and state ministers, NGOs, intellectuals and journalists to stay away from the troubled zone of Lalgarh saying it was not in a position to provide security to them in view of Maoist activities in the area. "The central and state security forces are there.

March 25th, 2009 KOLKATA - Police will carry out a combing operation to sniff out Maoist rebels from the tribal-dominated Lalgarh region of West Bengal before the upcoming Lok Sabha polls, an official said Wednesday. 'We will be sending police forces to Lalgarh before the April-May elections to search out Maoists guerrillas in the region so that polls can be conducted in the district peacefully,' West Bengal Home Secretary Ardhendu Sen told reporters here.

February 3rd, 2009 KOLKATA - Trinamool Congress chief Mamata Banerjee Wednesday accused the Communist Party of India-Marxist (CPI-M) of hatching a conspiracy to kill her, while the ruling Left Front said she was just trying to create fresh trouble in West Bengal's Lalgarh region where she addressed tribals. Banerjee attended the funeral of three tribals who died in a clash with CPI-M supporters Monday and told the people that the government did not want her to stand by them.