Mamata walks 10 km to observe one year of fall of Marxist rule

Kolkata: Marking the anniversary of the end of 34-year-old Marxist rule in the state, West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee, flanked by her supporters, today took out a march and claimed that her government had fulfilled most of the poll promises. Banerjee, who walked for two hours non-stop, was accompanied by Railway Minister Mukul Roy and a large number of supporters and party workers in a 10-km procession which started from the busy Hazra crossing in south Kolkata to Muslim-dominated Razabazar in the eastern part of the city. [caption id=“attachment_308202” align=“alignleft” width=“380” caption=“PTI”]  [/caption] “Today was the day last year when a momentous change was brought about in West Bengal after a lot of sacrifices. There was enormous torture during the CPI(M) rule for over three decades when 55,000 people lost there lives. Democracy was restored in the state after the ouster of the CPI(M) and the Ma, Mati, Manush government was formed,” she said in a brief speech at Razabazar. Asking party leaders and workers to work for the people in a selfless manner, she warned “if anyone is found working in self-interst, he or she would have no place in the party”. Briefly speaking about her government’s performance the chief minister claimed that her government had created six lakh jobs till date in the state and pointed out that 50 percent reservation for women had been introduced in the panchayats. She declared that peace had been restored in Maoist-hit Jangalmahal and in Darjeeling hills where the Gorkha Janmukti Morcha had signed an agreement with the Centre and the state government to set up a hill council with greater autonmy. She claimed that almost a hundred per cent of the commitments made before the assembly election last year had been fulfilled by her government in the nearly 12 months in office. “The rest we will accomplish in the coming days,” she promised. Banerjee alleged that the CPI(M) was hobnobbing with the Maoists to work against the government and warned that no attempt to disturb the development initiatives started by her government would be tolerated. The CPI(M) rule had ruined the state with no development taking place and there was an all round mess in educational institutitions while there was lack of proper hospital services, she alleged. Banerjeee took over the reins of the state on 20 May after her party’s landslide victorty in the Assembly election the results of which were declared on this day last year. There were several tableaux showcasing the achievements of the Mamata Banerjee government in its one year in office. Tagore songs were played along with the National Song Vande Mataram as thousands of people lined up the streets in humid weather to catch a glimpse of the TMC supremo who was wearing her trademark green-bordered white sari and hawai chappal. PTI