Disturbed Areas Act for Bengal favoured

By Our Special Correspondent

NEW DELHI, SEPT. 15. The BJP and the Trinamool Congress are zeroing in on the possibility of using the Disturbed Areas Act in West Bengal, but any step in this direction would have to await the return of the Prime Minister, Mr. A.B. Vajpayee, from the United States, it was indicated today.

The Trinamool leader, Ms. Mamata Banerjee, has had a series of meetings with leaders such as the Union Home Minister, Mr. L.K. Advani, the Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister, Mr. Chandrababu Naidu, on Thursday. Today, she met the BJP general secretary, Mr. Venkaiah Naidu.

Apparently, Ms. Banerjee seems to be reconciled to the fact that use of Article 356 of the Constitution to impose President's rule in West Bengal was not at all feasible. Not only the Opposition parties, but even the NDA partners such as the Telugu Desam Party and the Akali Dal are strongly opposed to it. But some hope is being kept alive in the Trinamool camp by the BJP on the possibility of a special ordinance which could help the Centre declare certain areas of West Bengal as ``disturbed areas'' without the consent of the State Government.

After his meeting with Ms. Banerjee, Mr. Venkaiah Naidu said that she explained that the situation in the State was becoming ``worse day by day,'' she charged that the Government machinery was being used by the Left Front Government ``to suppress political opponents'', and that even ``relief material was not allowed to reach victims of political violence.'' Her apprehension was that the Left would create a ``fear psychosis among the people to rig the election in its favour.''

It seems that the BJP and the Trinamool have come to the conclusion that friends of the NDA such as the TDP may not be averse to the idea of declaring some areas of West Bengal as ``disturbed areas.''

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Section  : National
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