Block leaders to take call on tie-up with TMC: PCC

“We will not impose our decision on our workers or partymen. We will accept if block lever leaders want to fight the elections alone and we will even accept if they want an alliance with the TMC. ” he said.

“We have asked the block level leaders to do a ground level assessment in the areas and submit a report to the state committee.”

However,when asked about Murshidabad,a Congress stronghold,Congress MP Adhir Choudhury said,“We will fight the panchayat elections alone in Murshidabad. We need to strengthen our organization in the state and need to prove that the party has its own existence in Bengal. We have to prove so in the panchayat “lections.”

On the issue of dismantling three Zilla Parishad in the state and curbing the powers of the gram panchayats,Bhattacharya said,“We do not support the idea of handing over the power of the panchayats to the block development officers and district magistrates (DMs). We will never support the move of the state government if it hands over the financial power of the Zilla Parishads to the DMs.”

Choudhury said he would march to Writer’s Buildings from Murshidabad if the financial power of the Zilla parishad in the district is handed over to the DMs.

On the issue of restricting some newspapers in government and government-aided libraries,Bhattacharya said,“We have criticised the move of the state government. As we took a strong stand on this issue,we were told not cross the ‘Lakshman Rekha’.”