The following is the statement issued by the Himachal Pradesh state committee of the CPI(M). THE Himachal Pradesh state committee of the Communist Party of India (Marxist) has taken strong exception to the statement made by chief minister Virbhadra Singh in the state assembly. It is not correct that CPI(M) workers were in anyway directly involved in the protest of the students on March 18 in front of the assembly. The student protest was against 2500 percent fee hike in college and university fees, against the RUSA system introduced by the Congress and for restoration of their democratic rights to hold election to the student central associations (SCA). The statement itself is a bundle of contradictions, when he says that they came to meet him leaving the bags full of stones outside in the security. And then after they went out they took the bags back and started pelting stones on the police. This took place at about 11 am. The lathicharge took place at 2:30 pm, but the Party office was attacked 3 hours after the whole incident at around 6 o’clock, when Virbhadra Singh was not even in Shimla. He was at Junga when the attack on the office took place. The Party takes strong exception to the statement in the assembly that our Party is a sister organisation of the Congress party. Ours is an independent national political party opposed to the policies being pursued by the Congress party in the country and the state. The statement smacks of malafide intention to tarnish the image of the Party. The Party strongly condemns the attack on the state Party office by the police and demands action against police officers responsible and also a judicial enquiry into the whole incident. If the Congress government wants to prove its innocence it should come forward and accept the demand of the Party. We also condemn the attack by the Congress goons and police on the office of the BJP last month. The authoritarian and dictatorial actions of the Virbhadra government can never be supported by the CPI (M). We shall oppose any such action at every stage and with all our strength. The Party has given a call to protest against the authoritarian and undemocratic character of the Congress government. The Party shall protest against this outside the Vidhan Sabha and at all districts, sub division and block head quarters on March 31.