Killing must end: Buddhadeb Bhattacharjee

West Bengal Chief Minister Buddhadeb Bhattacharjee on Saturday said killing in West Bengal must end, a day after eight villagers were killed in a West Midnapore village in firing blamed on supporters of Communist Party of India-Marxist (CPI-M) by the Opposition.

“We do not want killing. We must stop it at any cost. All parties must cooperate,” said Bhattacharjee at a public rally in South 24 Parganas district near here.

“The incident in Nitai village of West Midnapore was unwanted. It should not have happened,” he said.

“We are against killing. We want only work for the poor people,” he said.

At least eight villagers, including two women, were killed and many injured in West Bengal’s volatile Lalgarh area on Friday in a firing blamed on the armed cadres of the ruling communists by the Opposition, evoking outrage and condemnation by various groups.

While the Marxists said it was a handiwork of the Maoists, the killings weakened the argument of the CPI-M which has long accused Trinamool Congress of colluding with the Maoists to target the communist supporters.

Political clashes and killings are regular occurrences in West Bengal ahead of a crucial Assembly election tentatively scheduled in May with the communists facing a tough challenge from an Opposition led by Railway Minister Mamata Banerjee’s Trinamool Congress.