Why did Centre not have prior information about tractor parade violence in Delhi: TMC

Describing the farmers' protestin Delhi against three new farm laws as ''peaceful'', theTrinamool Congress on Wednesday wondered how a ''fraction ofagitators'' could enter into the Red Fort and why the Centredidn't have intelligence inputs on the possibility of violenceduring the tractor parade in the national capital.

The ruling party in West Bengal also demanded anindependent inquiry into the Red Fort incident.

''A small fraction went to the Red Fort and thequestion remains that how could they enter into it, breachingthe security cover. Why did the government not have priorinformation? What the intelligence unit was doing?'' senior TMCleader Dinesh Trivedi told reporters at the party headquartershere.

A tractor parade on Tuesday that was to highlight thedemands of the farmer unions to repeal three new agriculturelaws dissolved into anarchy on the streets of Delhi as tens ofthousands of protesters broke through barriers, fought withpolice, overturned vehicles and hoisted a religious flag fromthe ramparts of the iconic Red Fort.

Trivedi said the farmers' agitation can be comparedwith TMC supremo Mamata Banerjee's 25-day fast in December2006 to protest against the land acquisition in Singur by theerstwhile Left Front government to set up a car factory.

''This movement by farmers has been very peaceful andcan be compared with Mamataji's fast for 25 days in Singur,''he said.

State minister Subrata Mukherjee said there should be''an independent inquiry into the Red Fort incident''.

''Farmers have been protesting peacefully in coldweather for two months and the Centre showed its unsympatheticattitude to their demands,'' he said.

The Delhi Police has registered 22 FIRs so far inconnection with the violence that broke out during thefarmers' tractor parade in the national capital leaving over100 policemen injured, officials said.

Mukherjee also criticised the opposition BJP formocking the state's 'Duare Sarkar' (government at doorsteps)campaign and said a total of Rs 8,700 crore has been releasedfor various schemes under the initiative.

The government has decided to extend the outreachprogramme till February 8 after it received an overwhelmingresponse in the first four phases of the initiative, he said.

The state government is extending benefits of at least12 schemes to the people through the drive.

The saffron camp had said the much-hyped 'DuareSarkar' project of the TMC government should be rechristenedas 'Jomer Duare Sarkar' (government at the gates of hell).

''The opposition (BJP) is branding the campaign as'Jomer Duare Sarkar' but it will be clear who is the real'jomraj' (king of hell),'' Mukherjee said.