The Calcutta District Left Front is heading for a confrontation with the Mamata Banerjee government over the denial of permission for a rally outside the Kolkata Municipal Corporation (KMC) on Tuesday. Left Front chairman Biman Bose on Monday made it clear that the rally will be held there even without a police permission.
The Left leadership sent a letter to chief secretary Sanjay Mitra seeking his intervention. However, they were not very optimistic about a positive response. The Left Front chairman said that a letter was written to the Kolkata police on September 8 seeking permission for the rally which was to be organised to highlight the failure of the KMC in combating dengue and the huge corruption that has come to surface in the installation of trident lamps on the city streets. However, the New Market police informed the Left Front only on October 6 that permission will not be granted because it may lead to a deterioration of law and order. “This is just a ploy to muzzle the voice of the Opposition,” Mr Bose said. He said the rally will be held come what may outside the KMC. “The rally will be organised there and people will assemble there from various places. If the police tries to use force then we will face it,” Mr Bose warned. The Kolkata police had similarly denied permission to the North 24 Parganas district CPI(M) unit to hold a rally on October 1 outside Victoria House. The Left Front leaders pointed out that the Trinamul Congress organised a rally outside Victoria House on July 21 every year. They also pointed out that Ms Banerjee regularly addressed a rally organised outside the KMC by the Inttuc. “If the law and order is not affected by the Trinamul Congress how can it be affected by the Left Front rally?” asked CPI(M) central committee member Mohammed Salim.