Following column to be inserted just after editorial of ML Update, Vol:3 No.38. Regret for the Omission in the online ML Update ( not in the print ed edition) Editor ,Online Ml Update 27-9-2000 Exposure Flood in West Bengal: Centre Busy in Dirty Tricks, LF Callous in Handling More than two crore and ten lakh people of West Bengal are currently affected by the flood. Till date around 700 people have lost their lives due to the flood in West Bengal, and thousands of villages in various districts lay marooned and contactless. Situation in Nadia, Murshidabad and Burdwan is particularly grave. In face of the devastating situation, people in many areas agitated before BDO offices demanding food and other relief. But in response they were lathi-charged and in one incident police even resorted to firing. At this critical hour, Trinamul Congress is desperately trying to usurp power in West Bengal by holding onto the crutches of BJP, and to this end they are applying all sorts of underhand techniques. To save its own existence the BJP-led NDA too is bent on appeasing the TMC. While fishing in troubled waters they are not coming up with any concrete central assistance towards relief and rehabilitation. But the LF Govt., despite staying in power in West Bengal for past 24 years, does not enjoy sympathy and support of the common people against this rightist offensive. As the measures taken so long by the State govt. towards flood-affected people are inadequate, CPI(ML) demands that the Centre should declare the flood-affected areas of the state as a "calamity-hit area" and provide adequate central assistance for relief. _______________________________________________ Leninist-International mailing list [EMAIL PROTECTED] To change your options or unsubscribe go to: http://lists.wwpublish.com/mailman/listinfo/leninist-international