Biman denies Mamata asked Left delegation to guard own house

Left Front chairman Biman Bose, who led a Left delegation to a meeting with Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee yesterday, today denied reports that Banerjee had asked them to guard their "own house" in the face of continued desertion of Left cadres to the BJP.

The Left delegation had called on the chief minister to draw her attention to the continuing attack on Left activists since the run-up to the Lok Sabha election. "No, there was no such talk during our meeting with her yesterday," Bose told a press conference, dismissing reports in this regard published in a section of the media. "We fought against the BJP. We are fighting still now," he said.

Bose clarified that during the hour-long meeting with the chief minister, the delegation had suggested that she call an all-party meeting to discuss the post-poll violence. The team included RSP leader and former PWD minister Kshiti Goswami, CPI state secretary Manju Kumar Mazumdar and Forward Bloc leader Hafiz Ali Sairani.