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Trinamool Congress Chief Mamata Banerjee on Sunday alleged that the Chief Minister Buddhadeb Bhattacharjee was lobbying with the Centre to suppress the Nandigram genocide.

Banerjee's reaction came a day later after Bhattacharjee met Congress President Sonia Gandhi at her Delhi residence on Saturday evening.

Speaking at a press conference in Trinamool Congress Bhavan, Mamata said, "without the assistance and support of the Union government no state government in the country could dare to show such an attitude towards the Nandigram mass killing."

Regarding the Prime Minister Manmohan Singh not visiting the genocide spot till date, Mamata said, "Why is the PM not visiting despite repeated demand by the opposition?"
 
Trinamool supremo further asserted that CPI (M) in the name of damage control exercise is trying to manage and manipulate the people's perspective about the Nandigram massacre through circulating false information through a sustained campaign. Chief minister in his own way has started lobbying from Delhi to Kolkata to 'manage' and 'manipulate' information relating to the March 14 mass killing.

Rejecting the call to attend an all-party meeting called by the Purba Midnapore district administration on Tuesday, Mamata said, "CPI (M) had been bombing and gunning and terrorising the villagers all the night on Saturday from 9 pm to 5 am at Nandigram. In such a violent situation how can we sit for talks across the table in an all-party meeting even at the local level."

Trinamool chief also alleged that in the name of administrative inquiry through CID, the chief minister and CPI (M) is all set to suppress and tamper with the evidence of Nandigram genocide on March 14.

The main opposition party in West Bengal still claims that normalcy in Nandigram is yet to return. "Schools, colleges and markets are still shut down since the massacre on March 14. Villagers are afraid of coming out in public and leading a normal village life," Banerjee claimed.

Pointing out the finding of a headless child's body on Sunday at Nandigram, Mamata said, "This is evident through such findings that CPI (M) and Buddha has been bluffing around claiming that no children were killed at the Nandigram mass killing. It is unfortunate that CBI is no more allowed to carry on the investigation and the state administration is taking full advantage of the situation to tamper with all valuable evidence."

Mamata once again claimed that the Centre should take responsibility and intervene into the inquiry proceedings and cannot act as an onlooker just because CPI (M) has extended support to the UPA government at the Centre.

She further added that it has also been evident from the state government's different versions on the Nandigram mass killings at Calcutta High Court, State Assembly and to opposition parties that the chief minister is managing around to suppress the truth.

Trinamool Congress party once again demanded complete cancellation of 'Special Economic Zones' (SEZ) at Nandigram and not mere suspension of the SEZ proposal. The party also demands returning of cultivable land to the farmers disagreeing to hand over lands for the Tata small car project and scrapping of British era law of land acquisition immediately.

Email author: sandipchowdhury@gmail.com