Kolkata, Feb 17 (PTI) Ridiculing West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee's statement that the incident of the alleged rape of an Anglo-Indian woman was aimed at maligning her government, the CPI(M) today said such statements were a symptom of 'paranoia' and aimed at passing the buck. "This is a symptom of paranoia and at the same time it is a question of passing the buck," CPI(M) central committee member Md Selim told a press conference on the sidelines of his party's ongoing 23 state committee meeting here. Stating that Banerjee was 'seeing red everywhere,' Selim said, "in the morning she sees red in the newspapers. After reading a news item, she turns red. Even in her dreams she sees the ghost of CPI(M). Throughout the day, the chief minister and her team sees conspiracy everywhere." He said the chief minister had been alleging conspiracy even in the recent hooch tragedy, infant deaths, farmers' suicide and the AMRI Hospital fire. "She should realise that she is no more in the opposition, that she is the leader of the state with Constitutional position." If any woman complained of rape, the government must immediately begin the due process of investigations like conducting the medical tests, finding the culprits and establishing their crime, he said, "it is not the business of the media, or any political leader, or the chief minister or the commissioner of police to rubbish the complaint." Selim said there was a clear Supreme Court directive that in such cases, the victim must not be subjected to character-assassination and the investigation process must not be influenced. "So, the commissioner of police, sitting at the police headquarters or the chief minister in the seat of power cannot blame, cast aspersions on the victim or import motive, till the investigation process is complete," he said.
