Buddhadeb admits to party men's hand in Netai killings

Communist Party of India-Marxist politburo member Buddhadeb Bhattacharjee on Sunday admitted to the complicity of his partymen in the killing of nine villagers at Netai in January, 2011 during his tenure as Chief Minister of West Bengal, which had caused a nationwide outcry.

"Incidents like Netai are wrong. Our boys had done wrong at Netai," Bhattacharjee said, regretting the incident which had created an uproar, at a public rally organised by the Left Front in Midnapur.

Nine villagers were killed in indiscriminate firing from a house owned by a local CPI-M leader at Netai village in West Midnapore district on January 7, 2011. All those who had been arrested for the crime were CPI-M activists, the major constituent of the then ruling Left Front. "We must express our regret if something is wrong. Loss of life has to be deplored irrespective of political leanings," he said.

The former chief minister, however, said the Trinamool Congress was continuously resorting to violence and killings in different parts of the state.

"But has the Trinamool Congress ever expressed regret for its wrongdoings?" he questioned. He claimed that innocent people had been killed in Nandigram because of some Trinamool Congress leaders.

On March 14, 2007, 14 villagers were killed in a police firing at Nandigram in East Midnapore district during an anti-land acquisition movement, which along with Singur  paved the way for the Trinamool Congress to romp to power.

Bhattacharjee   on Sunday alleged that there was total lawlessness and anarchy in the state under the Trinamool Congress rule. He also claimed that atrocities and serious crimes against women have risen alarmingly.

"They are only organising festivals and making big claims of development through advertisements, but the truth is very different as there is no job for the youth and no development has occurred during the TMC rule," he claimed.