CPM spins a tale for Governor

http://www.thestatesman.net/page.arcview.php?date=2007-05-16&usrsess=1729188831841&clid=6&id=183923


Uday Basu
KOLKATA, May 15: Even when the CPI-M’s state leadership is desperately trying to restore peace at Nandigram and treat the whole episode as a closed chapter, its district unit today tried to present before the Governor and the chief minister a distorted picture about the situation prevailing there.
A Left Front delegation from East Midnapore, which met Governor Mr Gopal Krishna Gandhi, reprotedly told him the number of villagers still unable to return home was around 2,000. The figure crossed 3,000 when the same delegation met the chief minister and then it came down to around 800 when it briefed the media at Writers’ Buildings.
LF insiders told The Statesman the CPI-M’s district leadership had yesterday wanted to put the number of villagers evicted from their homes at 5,000 in the memorandum to be submitted to the governor.
However, at the insistence of the LF junior partners the figure was changed to around 2,000. The discrepancy was mentioned during the meeting with the chief minister and it was learnt Mr Buddhadeb Bhattacharjee wasn’t pleased with the matter. Similarly, the CPI-M’s district unit put the number of schools closed at Nandigram since the trouble erupted at “over 70 per cent”. But the truth, according to LF insiders, is out of 122 schools only 11 still remain closed. Another distortion was about mid-day meal. Contrary to the figures provided by the CPI-M mid-day meal can’t be given at only two schools and that too because the panchayant pradhans there are away.