Cong teaches Buddha a 'moral' lesson

Stepping up attack on the Left parties over the Nandigram incident, the Congress today made an oblique demand for the resignation of West Bengal Chief Minister Buddhadeb Bhattacharjee.

"It is a question of morality. Which office-bearer should do what? It's a moral decision for the organisation concerned and the persons involved," party spokesman Abhishek Singhvi told reporters when asked if the party was demanding dismissal of the Left Front government or the resignation of the chief minister.

He side-stepped a question if the Congress saw a parallel between Bhattacharjee and Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Mulayam Singh Yadav, whose resignation it had sought on moral grounds, after the Nithari serial killings.

Singhvi said what was witnessed at Nandigram was "most tragic" and called for "sternest condemnation possible". He said "such a brutal and inhuman act" by any party in any part of the country was "extremely unfortunate"

He refrained from confirming or denying reports about the reported findings of an AICC team led by Digvijay Singh. The team had blamed Bhattacharjee for the killings. "It is an internal report", he said.

This is for the first time that the Congress has made such a severe attack on the Left since the UPA government came to power.

The state unit of Congress has already demanded dismissal of the West Bengal government.

In another development, the West Bengal Pradesh Congress and the party's legislature wing in the Assembly have written to Prime Minister Manmohan Singh expressing their fears that there might be some "undue interference" in the CBI's investigation, particularly after the arrest of 10 CPI(M) activists, along with arms.

Pradesh Congress General Secretary and CLP Chief Whip Manas Bhuniya said the PM had been requested to ensure that the CBI carried out its investigation "without any interference from any quarter, particularly the CPI(M)".