After railways, Banerjee now sending Bengal to ICU: CPI-M

Kolkata, April 20 (IANS) Ridiculing West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee's claim that her government has completed most of its tasks in its very first year, Communist Party of India-Marxist (CPI-M) leader Surjya Kanta Mishra Friday said after having sent the railways to the ICU as railway minister, she was now doing the same to the state.

"As railway minister, she has sent the railways to the Intensive Care Unit. Now she is putting the state on the road to the Intensive Care Unit," Mishra, the leader of the opposition in the assembly, told media persons here.

In various programmes over the last two days, Banerjee had given her government 100 out of 100 in performance and claimed that her regime had completed in less than one year over 90 percent of the work it had set out to complete in five years.

On Thursday, at another programme she went a step further saying her government had done 10 years' work within this time.

"She is herself the paper setter, examinee and examiner. She is doing the tabulation also. And we find that she held a meeting to review the various departments' showing after giving herself such good marks," Mishra said in sarcastic vein.

The CPI-M politburo member said 80 percent of the work which her government has claimed to have done were only in the planning stage.

"Sixteen percent was done during the previous Left Front regime. Of the remaining four percent, some are trash. Her government's work means painting everything blue and white and installing new street lamps".

Countering a booklet brought out by the state government listing its achievements, the Left Front will also publish a document giving its analysis of the regime's performances, he said.

However, Mishra ruled out any demand for central intervention in the state, saying: "We as a matter of principle are opposed to central intervention in state's affairs".

He alleged that the atrocities committed in the 11 months of the regime have left behind those during the Emergency in the 1970s.

"The atrocities that have been carried out are more extensive. During the emergency, the attacks were limited to the cities. But this time, the rural areas are the most affectd. Over 4,000 of our workers and supporters have been maimed".

On Banerjee being named by Time Magazine as one of the 100 most influential people of 2011, he said: "Had they included my name, I would have consulted a lawyer. What else could I have done after seeing the type of persons mentioned in the list.

"Even Hitler had got a pride of place in the Times list previously," he added.