Hardly 16 months have passed when the CPI-M-led Left Front called yet another bandh in the state on 13 April to protest against pre-panchayat poll violence over the submission of nomination papers mainly by oppositions across districts. This time the bandh will be for six hours from 6.00 a.m to 12 noon.

The state Congress has extended its moral support to the bandh called by the Left showing its first gesture of solidarity after Front pitted Robin Deb as its Rajya Sabha nominee against Congress candidate Abhishek Manu Singhvi.

The state government won’t allow any bandh in the state. While speaking to reporters at the state secretariat Nabanna during the day, chief minister Mamata Banerjee said,

“There will be no bandh in the state. Transport will remain normal like other days. It’s a kind of drama by the CPI-M.”

“They have ruined the state by such bandhs and strikes during their 34 years’ regime.  They have nothing to do except calling such bandhs, We will take legal action against the bandh,” Miss Banerjee said.

Last time the Left Front had called a 12-hour bandh in the state on 28 November protesting against the demonetisation by the Narendra Modi government at the centre.

Congress Legislative Party leader Abdul Mannan said today that they have extended their support to save democracy which being tried to be stifled in the panchayat elections by ruling party activists.

“A six-hour bandh will be observed on 13 April in the state to protest against violence over submission of nomination papers in the panchayat polls,” Left Front chairman Mr Biman Bose said today.

He also said that examination centres will be exempted from the purview of the bandh if any examination is scheduled to be held on that day.

Unprecedented violence unleashed by the Trinamul Congress-backed goons broke out in the state over filing of the nomination papers in the panchayat polls. We all should protest against it,” he added.

On the other hand, the chief minister came down heavily on the Opposition parties saying, “The CPI-M and the BJP are jointly making such false propaganda against us. Why are they making allegations of violence at a time when when they have filed 74,000 nomination papers in the panchayat polls.”

“Hardly six to seven incidents of violence have happened out of 58,000 polling booths. A Trinamul worker has been shot dead at Sandeshkhali. Incidents have also happened in Murshidabad and Bankura districts. In North Dinajpur, Trinamul workers’ houses have been torched. We have also faced many violence unleashed by the CPI-M during their rule in Bengal. People still remember the days of terror sponsored by the CPI-M that had brutally forced the people to swallow koi mach (amur carps) in Howrah,” the Trinamul supremo said.

“They are making a small incident into a big one. One newspaper house is doing all these things by showing such small things in a big way. They Oppositions could not file nominations in some areas because they do not have their adequate workers. We have nothing to do and we also can’t provide them our men,” she said.

“The Left should have gone for jihad against BJP but they are getting together with the latter. We had sought the political support of the Left to fight against the BJP because it’s a question of ideology. And I can’t understand how did the Congress go with the BJP in the state,” the chief minister alleged.