Kolkata: With the first phase of the assembly elections in West Bengal just 17 days away, Trinamool Congress chief Mamata Banerjee on Friday said that if elected to power her party would endeavour to provide good governance and
restore the lost glory of the state. "We are committed to provide independent and good governance to the people of West Bengal and restore democratic
rights snatched away by the CPM in the last 35 years," Banerjee told a TV channel in an interview.
Noting that the new government would not extract vengeance, Banerjee said, "In the event of a change in government, our primary task will be to establish the rule of law and return to the people their democratic rights which were taken away by the CPM since 1977." To a question if the dark days of Naxal violence of the 70s would return and there would be law and order problems as feared by a section of Left Front leaders in the event of Trinamool wresting power, she retorted, "Do you think there is any light in people's lives under Left rule?"
"Law will take its own course and the guilt of 35 years of Front misrule will be tried," she said. Asked to comment on some Front leaders suggesting that
she would jail CPM workers, the Trinamool chief quipped, "Why should I jail them? The courts will try the offenders of democracy." She said her party, in the event of coming to power, would form an expert committee to review and verify each of the cases of political prisoners "unlike the Left Front which released lakhs of prisoners irrespective of murderers and goons in 1977."
Banerjee said that she would ensure that none accused in cases could go scot free. "How can an accused in Sain family murder case in Burdwan district in 1970 remain a Left Front minister till date?" Banerjee said without naming the minister. "Our aim will be establish democracy and not to impose dictatorship," she said, alleging that the CPM had resorted to "unlimited untruths to defame political opponents."
Referring to the efforts to bring back work culture in the state, she ridiculed Chief Minister Buddhadeb Bhattacharjee's slogan 'do it now' after winning the 2006 assembly elections and said that it had failed to impact employees.
Listing the 'misdeeds' of the Left Front government, the Railway minister alleged that she had come to know of railway employees affiliated to the CPI-M out to sabotage the railway system. "The CPI(M)-affiliated state Coordination Committee has no work, but to destroy work culture in the state," she
alleged. Claiming that nepotism and corruption has been the 'mainstay' of the CPM in the state, she said the Front government had registered 'false cases' against thousands ranging from the common people to human rights activists and
even journalists.
Banerjee criticised the Front for not being able to utilise central funds in welfare projects, particularly in tribal-dominated 'jungelmahal' areas. "CPM has vitiated every sector. Look at the education area where starting from the appointment of vice-chancellors, the party has spread its tentacles to the recruitment of teachers in schools. I will try to introduce a system to end the nepotism and corruption raj of the Front regime," the Trinamool supremo asserted.
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