Remove Mamata Banerjee from railway ministry: Sitaram Yechury

Accusing the Trinamool Congress chief Mamata Banerjee of trying to destroy communal harmony by claiming that communal violence was likely to occur in the city ahead of the May 30 municipal election, CPI(M) Politburo member Sitaram Yechury tonight demanded that Banerjee be removed from the post of railway minister for such "irresponsible" statement.

Addressing an election rally for Left Front candidates in the city, Yechury said he had met Union home minister P Chidambaram on Thursday in Delhi and submitted to him the transcript of Banerjee's election speech wherein she had claimed that efforts were on to incite communal violence in the city's Muslim pockets.

"I told the union home minister that such statements are highly irresponsible and harmful for communal harmony. He assured me that the UPA government will not allow any communal disharmony and would support the state government in maintaining communal peace and amity.

"I then told him that if you really want to maintain communal harmony in West Bengal, then remove the Trinamool Congress from the union cabinet," he said.

Pointing out that Civil Aviation minister Praful Patel had sought to resign owning moral responsibility of the air crash in Mangalore, Yechury alleged despite a number of railway accidents all over the country in the past one year, Banerjee never cared to visit the spots. "You have seen that after the stampede in New Delhi railway station, she had held the passengers responsible."