Siliguri: West Bengal Pradesh Congress Committee (WBPCC) chief Pranab Mukherjee on September 7 held the Left Front government responsible for rise of Kamtapuri movement in North Bengal.

The state government did not take any care for socio-economic upliftment of the people of the region, the root cause of a section of people taking up arms now, Mukherjee said while addressing a booth based party workers' conference organised by Darjeeling (plain) District Congress at Dinabandhu Manch in Siliguri.

The senior Congress leader also made it amply clear that his party did not support the Kamtapur People's Party's (KPP) demand for a separate state.

On the alleged failure of the West Bengal police to check militancy, Mukherjee said the Left Front, Communist Party of India-Marxist (CPM) in particular, should allow police to work freely.

"If the 'party control' on police is not immediately lifted, the law and order situation will worsen further," he cautioned.

Addressing the grassroot workers of the party, Mukherjee said that key of success of CPI-M in the state was not the public support but its well practiced 'scientific rigging' which could only be stopped by dedicated Congress workers at the grassroot level.

Without naming Trinamool Congress chief Mamata Banerjee, the veteran Congress leader reiterated that individual influence could never benefit a political party, particularly in the battle of ballots. And this very truth had been proved time and again, Mukherjee added. Former WBPCC President, Somen Mitra was present.

PTI