File Photo: Prime Minister Narendra Modi with West Bengal CM Mamata Banerjee
CPI (M) General Secretary Sitaram Yechury today alleged that the BJP-led NDA government has entered into a 'match-fixing' with the Trinamool Congress dispensation in West Bengal "where development has come to a halt."
"Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee have entered into a match-fixing as they both need each other's support to get bills passed in the Parliament and to deal with the Saradha chit fund scam," said Mr Yechury, who was here to take part in a function to mark the birth centenary of veteran Marxist leader Harkishan Singh Surjeet.
"While Banerjee needs the support of the Centre to delay the ongoing probe into the multi-crore Saradha scam, Modi requires TMC support to get bills passed in the Rajya Sabha," he said.
Asked about the development work being carried out by the TMC government in West Bengal, the CPI(M) Rajya Sabha member said, "Where is development in West Bengal? It has come to a halt under the present regime."
To a query on Maoist activities in Bengal, Yechury said his party was strongly against the politics of violence which doesn't have any place in a democratic set up.
He, however, said talks should be held with the Maoist outfits to find a solution to the menace.
"Only steps to rein in extremism will not serve the purpose, dialogue on the political front should be held to understand whether they (Maoists) have faith in our system of Parliamentary democracy to bring the misguided youth back to the mainstream of society," Mr Yechury said.
Claiming that the Left Front government in West Bengal had made the ultras surrender during its tenure, the CPI(M) leader wondered if the Maoists were surrendering even now in states like Tripura where the Left was in power, then why the same is not happening in other states.
Mr Yechury blamed the Trinamool Congress for the spurt in Maoist activities in Bengal and said it was difficult to defeat them by a single-pronged approach.