Senior Congress leader Soumen Mitra today alleged democracy was replaced by a dictatorship of one person in West Bengal.
"During the 34 years of Left rule, West Bengal was reduced to a partisan government and relentless people's movement had restored democracy, but again has been reduced to a dictatorship of one person," Mitra said while addressing a poll rally here.
He alleged that law and order had collapsed there and incidents of crime against women like rapes and molestation were rampant and perpetrated by activists of the ruling party, Trinamool Congress.
"Women are not safe even inside their houses. A woman and her mother-in-law are raped in one room now," he alleged.
"During the Left Front rule, people in the state were fed up of unemployment, nepotism, partisan governance and politicisation of education, which were the reasons for change of government. But the pertinent question is, what kind of change has taken place in the state?" Mitra asked.
He said, in the three years of Trinamool government there was no development.
"Doling out cash to some people or giving some bicycles to a few girls is not development. Creating permanent asset for the state can be called development, but no asset has been created in the state during the TMC regime," he asserted.
The Congress leader also said the CPI(M) in West Bengal and in Tripura had no basic qualitative difference and it was just the other side of a coin. "I do not believe the CPI(M) can deliver any good in Tripura," he added.
Mitra appealed to people to vote for the two Congress candidates from Tripura because there was no alternative to Congress.
Among others, leader of opposition Sudip Roy Burman also addressed the rally.