West Bengal government and opposition should hold talks: Amartya Sen

The West Bengal government and the opposition should sit for talks over political killings and Maoist violence in the state to restore peace, Nobel Laureate economist Amartya Sen has said.
    
"Both (the state government and the opposition) should be responsive to the situation. The opposition too should behave responsibly. It is time peace is restored," Sen told a local television channel yesterday.
    
Blaming both the ruling party and the opposition for the worsening situation in the state, he said, "When the Left was strong, there was little evidence that it consulted others. I have written about it."
    
"The ruling party has a Stalinist heritage, which I think is not good. Now that it has become a minority in many places it is now eager for talks," Sen told Bengali news channel '24 Ghanta' in an apparent reference to the Left's successive defeat in elections in the state.
    
Without naming Trinamool Congress, he said, "It has apparently gained strength and is in a combative mood and not keen on talks."
    
Sen condemned the killings, particularly of a school teacher in West Midnapore district by Maoists and asked "will such things bring any change? The situation will worsen if killings and revenge do not stop."