TMC attack planned, says Asok

TT, Siliguri, Aug. 30: Mayor Asok Bhattacharya today alleged that Trinamul was organising attacks on him in a planned manner to intimidate Left Front leaders and workers.

"Trinamul leaders here had tasted defeat in the civic polls in Siliguri in April. The drubbing has made Trinamul desperate and it is organising attacks on me in a planned manner to intimidate Left workers and leaders. Our support base is increasing day by day and people will vote for the Left in the Siliguri Mahakuma Parishad polls," Bhattacharya said here today.

Yesterday evening, Bhattacharya had alleged that a group of Trinamul supporters had attacked him at Tinbatti More here while he was returning from Mathabhanga.

Also, on August 15, he had alleged that Trinamul workers had attacked him and Darjeeling district CPM secretary Jibesh Sarkar with bricks, stones and sticks at Balason Colony in Matigara. "All these attacks on me were carried out at the instruction of minister Gautam Deb," the mayor alleged.

Minister Deb said the mayor was cooking up the attack story to get people's sympathy.

The CPM said all Left councillors at the Siliguri Municipal Corporation would observe "black day" tomorrow in protest against the attack on Bhattacharya.