Mamata Banerjee urges peace. (Above) Torched cycles outside a CPM office on the way to her rally. Pictures by Pradip Sanyal

Arambagh, Nov. 4: Mamata Banerjee today said she would not have to press for President’s rule if the “CPM’s terror” continued — “they would bring it on themselves”.

However, not far from where the Trinamul Congress chief spoke, her supporters chased with swords and pistols CPM women holding a street-side meeting.

At a rally in Hooghly’s Arambagh, 95km from Calcutta, Mamata said the Assembly elections could be closer than 2011, thanks to the CPM. “The way the CPM has let loose terror to regain lost turf across the state, it is inviting President’s rule. We don’t have to push for central invention, the CPM is digging its own grave.”

“I presume the Assembly polls will be held in two to six months. The CPM came to power in 1977 when Bengal was under President’s rule and its exit will also be under President’s rule.”

But she was aware that her calculations could be upset by her own ranks and she pleaded with them repeatedly to be “patient” and “peaceful” and not get “provoked”.

Thousands hollered yes in agreement, but some of them did minutes before what Mamata would like to see CPM cadres doing.

“I won’t tolerate hooliganism. We are for peace and progress. We should be polite to the people. If the CPM attacks, we should fight them politically and not by resorting to violence,” Mamata said.

About 4km from the rally ground, the Trinamul gang drove away the CPM women, ripped out loudspeakers, tore festoons and smashed chairs.

The roadside meeting at Champadanga was being held to protest the death of a woman who was allegedly beaten up by Trinamul activists on September 26.

Half an hour later, another group raided the CPM local committee office at Kabley, about a kilometre away, and set it ablaze. The fire destroyed party papers, a television set and some two dozen cycles.

“They destroyed everything in the office. The five party members who were inside fled in fear seeing swords and guns,” said local CPM leader Ramkrishna Bandopadhyay.

Around 2.15pm, Trinamul supporters heading to Mamata’s meeting set on fire a grocery at Muthadanga, about 3km from the venue. Several cycles outside were destroyed.

The entire area wore a bandh-day look after the attacks.

CPM supporters lined the road at Muthadanga with festoons saying ‘Go back Mamata Banerjee’.

A Trinamul general secretary accompanying Mamata said: “Didi did not approve of what some of our supporters did today. We have to beat bullets with ballots.”

Mamata said: “When we won 26 (Lok Sabha) seats out of 42 in Bengal, I realised that the CPM’s days were numbered. In the Assembly polls, they will get a big zero.”

She also iterated a strategy the party had successfully used in Nandigram, allegedly under Maoist tutelage. “Don’t panic when CPM supporters attack. Put the women and children in the front as a shield,” she said.

Mamata alleged that the CPM was bringing in Maoists from Nepal to “annihilate the principal Opposition party”.

Asked about the violence by party activists this afternoon, Trinamul minister Mukul Roy said: “Our supporters protested when CPM men tried to prevent them from attending the rally.”