Kolkata: The opposition Congress and Trinamool Congress today demanded a statement by West Bengal Chief Minister Buddhadeb Bhattacharjee in the assembly on the Maoist poster found pasted on the Writers Buildings and took umbrage that he was not present in the house.

Raising the issue during mention hour, Congress Chief Whip Manas Bhuniya protested the chief minister's absence when opposition members wanted to know the details about the issue.

How could a chief minister be away on tours to districts for party work when the House was on? Bhuniya questioned and demanded the Chair to call the Leader of the House for giving his statement.

Leader of the Opposition Partha Chatterjee said members had every right to know about the Maoist threat and steps initiated by the government to contain it.

The TC leader demanded the Chair reprimand the chief minister for busying himself with party programmes when the House was on.

The chief minister should tell the House how activities of Maoists, who were not banned in West Bengal, were spreading in the state and how the government was countering it, they said.

The speaker earlier admitted an adjournment motion by the Trinamool Congress on the Maoist menace, but it could not be discussed as the party did not have the requisite number of 30 members present.

Both the leaders alleged that the Maoist menace was being used as a bogey to restrict the activities of the opposition.

Source : PTI