Kolkata:
The gloves are off in the civic polls in West Bengal. Recently, Mamata Banerjee publicly accused CPM of using the police to provoke riots in Muslim dominated areas of Kolkata ahead of the civic polls.
On Sunday, at his first press conference on the civic polls, Buddhadeb hit back.
"Riots in Kolkata...why did she say this? In West Bengal, in election campaigns, riots have never been mentioned. This is the first time. The mouthpiece of the BJP-RSS, they have declared that the Trinamool should form government in this state. What they want is clear," said Buddhadeb.
Senior Politburo members of the CPM are likely to take up the riots issue in Delhi. The Chief Minister also reacted sharply to Mamata's demand for early polls. She claims she has discussed the issue with the Union Home Minister.
"She doesn't know the Constitution, hasn't read it. The Constitution says that if anyone can fix the poll date in a state, it is the state government," Buddhadeb added.
Buddhadeb's attack on Mamata comes a few days after she said she expects the Assembly in Bengal to be held within three months.