'Mamata made Azad remarks as Trinamool chief, not as minister'

Distancing itself from the controversial remarks of Railway Minister Mamata Banerjee about the killing of Maoist leader Cherukuri Rajkumar, alias Azad, the Congress on Wednesday said she had made the remarks as the Trinamool Congress chief and not as a minister.

Distancing itself from the controversial remarks of Railway Minister Mamata Banerjee about the killing of Maoist leader Cherukuri Rajkumar, alias Azad, the Congress on Wednesday said she had made the remarks as the Trinamool Congress chief and not as a minister.

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"She is not only a minister of the government of India, she is also the president of a political party. She has said the remarks were made in her capacity of Trinamool Congress chief," Congress spokesman Shakeel Ahmed told IANS.

Replying to a query about the suggestion of Maoists to have Banerjee as one of the mediators, Ahmed said it was for her to decide if she is ready for the role.

"It is between the government, Maoists and the people they have named as mediators," Ahmed said.

He said it remains to be seen if the ceasefire offer had the backing of all Maoist groups.

The spokesman said Congress would support any effort for peace but the decision on ceasefire had to be taken by the Maoists and the government.

Meanwhile, Banerjee on Wednesday stuck to her comments suggesting Maoist leader Azad was killed in a staged shootout and said she was happy the rebels had responded to calls from the president and the prime minister to come for talks.

Speaking to reporters at her residence in Kolkata, a day after the Maoists proposed a three-month ceasefire and sought her as one of the mediators in the proposed peace talks, Banerjee said the problem should be solved peacefully and democratically through negotiations.

At the rally earlier this month in Lalgarh, Banerjee condemned the "manner" in which Azad was killed at Adilabad in Andhra Pradesh July 2.