Buddhadeb Bhattacharjee to meet Chidambaram, discuss Naxal activities

NEW DELHI - West Bengal Chief Minister Buddhadeb Bhattacharjee will meet Union Minister P Chidambaram here today after the two leaders exchanged a series of letters on the law and order situation in the state.

The campaign against Naxalites and “violence by the armed CPI(M) cadres” in the state are also likely to figure among the two during the meeting.

Bhattacharjee is likely to meet Prime Minister Manmohan Singh later in the day.

Bhattacharjee may also hand in some “proof” of the alleged Trinamool Congress-Maoist nexus to the Home Minister to corroborate what his party CPI(M) has been saying all along.

Earlier, Chidambaram had sent a letter to Bhattacharjee asking him to reschedule all appointments and visit New Delhi immediately.

Chidambaram had said that he has received information that eight people were killed in the firing and 18 others were injured in it.

“I have written a letter to the chief minister and drawn his attention to this grave incident and requested him to kindly reschedule all (his) appointments and visit Delhi immediately,” he said.

Earlier, six villagers, including a woman were killed and over 20 injured in firing by suspected armed CPI-M cadres in Lalgarh in West Bengal’s West Midnapore District.

The villagers, who had gathered to protest against demands made by Marxist armed cadre that they volunteer for night patrols and arms training, were fired at from a house at Netai village in Belatikri gram panchayat in Lalgarh police station area. (ANI)