Banerjee said that after taking over the Railway ministry, budget allocations had been raised for metro rail in Kolkata which was used by 15 lakh passengers.
With a railway inquiry blaming the Jnaneswari Express disaster to sabotage, Trinamool Congress chief Mamata Banerjee today accused CPI(M) of being responsible for it and charged the Marxist party was behind frequent glitches in metro rail here to discredit her.
"CPI(M) is answerable to the people for loss of 148 lives in the Jnaneswari train disaster (in June this year). I have no words to condemn the heinous act of CPI(M)," Banerjee said.
"CPI(M) is also disrupting metro rail services frequently to close it down so that I am discredited before the coming assembly elections in West Bengal," Banerjee, the Railway minister, alleged at a rally here.
"CPI(M)'s supporters in the metro rail were involved in such acts of sabotage," Banerjee alleged and said she would not tolerate stalling of public utility services.
She also charged CPI(M) was trying to divert the people's attention from "murder and violence in targetting metro rail."
Banerjee said that after taking over the Railway ministry, budget allocations had been raised for metro rail in Kolkata which was used by 15 lakh passengers.
It was she, Banerjee said, who took the initiative for completion of Tollygunge-Garia section of metro rail which was lying pending for 10 years. "It will take two months to complete the newly extended stretch."
She said metro rail was a boon to lakhs of passengers when surface transport in the city had 'nearly collapsed' and CPI(M) was 'jealous' at the flurry of railway projects in different stages of implementation involving crores of rupees in the state.
Banerjee expressed frustration that her demand for withdrawal of the joint forces in 'junglemahal' was falling on deaf ears.
Banerjee said that time and again she had told the Centre that CPI(M) cadre in police and security forces uniforms "were killing and terrorising innocent people with the direct help of the joint forces."
She said she had demanded winding up of CPI(M) armed camps and seizure of arms "at least 10 times to the prime minister, 20 times to the Union Home Minister, 30 times to the Union finance minister and even moved the governor. I want the Centre concede our demands unilaterally.
"But it is of no avail and so I have come to the people to advise me on what to do in this situation," she said at the rally to demand withdrawal of the joint forces.
Pointing to the prohibitory orders remaining clamped for over a year in West Midnapore district, a part of 'junglemahal', she said no political party was allowed to enter there.
"There is no democracy at Lalgarh and adjacent areas in junglemahal. Had the Centre known this, it might have definitely taken action."
Banerjee also claimed CPI(M) was receiving Maoist support to win elections. "I have information that CPI(M) party offices in the area are stacked with Maoist posters being found beside bodies in junglemahal."
The violence in junglemahal, she claimed, was also the result of intra-party conflict in CPI(M).
Her party would organise a grand procession in Kolkata on November 14 to highlight its demands, she said.
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