'Mother' Mamata should control TMC 'family': Yechury

CPI(M) claimed that violence has been "unprecedented" in West Bengal with seven of its party workers "killed" since the onset of the Assembly elections, and said it will not succumb to such "politics of terror" and will put up greater resistance.
    

"The violence has been unprecedented in West Bengal. So far seven of our workers have died - four in the third phase and three earlier. The more violence they will perpetrate, the greater will be the resistance by the people. We will meet the challenge. Intimidation will not work as far as the CPI-M is concerned," party general secretary Sitaram Yechury told reporters here.
    

Emphasising that the party will not "succumb to this politics of terror", he said such violence cannot happen unless it is "patronised" by the ruling dispensation.
    

"Our resistance will not be through their (Trinamool's) method of using bombs. It will be the collective pressure of the people. Democratic pressure has succeeded so far," Yechury said when asked about the mechanism for putting up resistance.
    

On the Narada sting operation, he alleged that it could not have happened without the patronisation of the party leadership.
    

"Tell your Chief Minister that if in a family of twenty, two have done wrong and the mother doesn't control them then this will happen. She is patronising them. Without the patronage of the leader, this couldn't have happened," Yechury said adding that Banerjee has "virtually admitted" that her party men took money.

On "political violence", he stated that they had apprehensions of an "escalation of attacks" during the fourth phase of polling this Monday. The party had yesterday written to Election Commission requesting it to take tangible action and instil confidence among the people to vote freely and fairly.
    

Yechury also raised the issue of the sealing of Indo-Bangla border during elections. The CPI-M leader alleged there is a nexus between BJP and Trinamool Congress in the state so that the "anti-incumbency" vote goes to BJP rather than the Left parties.
    

"Whenever polling is held in one part of the state he campaigns in another part. Why is the Prime Minister fighting with so much of energy in Bengal?" Yechury asked. When questioned about reports of the rise of Sikh fundamentalism, he said it is "worrying".
    

"We have got reports of the rejuvenation of Sikh fundamentalism. There is trouble in the future," he warned.
    

On the 400th death anniversary of William Shakespeare being commemorated all over the world, he said the whole of India would have expected Kolkata to lead the programmes related to the Bard.
    

"Kolkata always had a vibrant cultural milieu. What has happened now in the state during the last five years is a tragedy. Our objective is to usher in the new Bengal renaissance," Yechury said. 

• TMC
• CPI(M)
• Mamata Banerjee
• Sitaram Yechury