Kolkata: Protesting against alleged terror and intimidation used by the CPM (Communist Party of India-Marxist) during yesterday's (June 27, 2004) poll to 18 civic bodies in West Bengal, the Nationalist Trinamool Congress today (June 28) said that democracy was in peril in the State in the 28 years of LF (Left Front) rule.

''The CPM had used terror and intimidation to win the Lok Sabha and Assembly polls. Now even the municipal election was also rigged with the help of the State administration and CPM goons,'' leader of Opposition in the Assembly Pankaj Banerjee said.

He said that even if they were 'disenchanted' with the ruling front, the people could not cast their votes due to 'terror, intimidation and booth-jamming'.

Banerjee said that Trinamool would not boycott elections, as the party did not want to shy away from polls. ''We will participate in every election and prove that democracy does not exist in the state under the LF rule,'' he said.

He also denied that the top leadership of Trinamool, including party chief Mamata Banerjee, did not campaign for the civic polls. Banerjee said that his party would launch aggressive movement against the 'rigging' of polls by the CPM-led Left Front.