The West Bengal government today rubbished the CPI(M)'s charge that it was unwilling to hold the panchayat polls, saying on the contrary the state was showing an urgency in this regard since September last year.
"This is a foolish charge. The government has been speaking of holding panchayat election since September last year, placed suggestions before the State Election Commission and even disbursed Rs 100 crore to it for the purpose," panchayat minister Subrata Mukherjee said here.
Asserting that the Mamata Banerjee government was "very much" interested in holding the panchayat polls, Mukherjee said West Bengal ranked high in the implementation of NREGA schemes and many other rural development projects.
He brushed aside the CPI(M) allegation that Saradha chit fund scam had link with the panchayat poll issue, adding that "some interested quarters are creating hurdles in holding panchayat election."
Mukherjee said the state had already stated in an affidavit submitted in the court that it was willing to hold rural polls. "Since the matter is sub-judice, it is not possible to mention when the polls can be held," he told a TV channel.
He reiterated the government's firm opposition to deployment of paramilitary forces during poll, and said that the police force was adequate for the job.
CPI(M) politburo member and Left Front chairman Biman Bose said the government had wasted "valuable time" in holding panchayat poll which speaks of the administration's inability to cope with the situation.
Bose urged the government to talk to the State Election Commission for fixing panchayat poll without losing any more time.
