Maoists accuse Mamata of 'Hijacking' Lalgarh rally

Though it helped make the Trinamool Congress rally at Lalgarh in West Bengal on August 9 a success, the top leadership of the banned Communist Party of India (Maoist) now seems be drifting away from Union Railway minister Mamata Banerjee's party and its agenda. Abhishek Sharan reports.

Though it helped make the Trinamool Congress rally at Lalgarh in West Bengal on August 9 a success, the top leadership of the banned Communist Party of India (Maoist) now seems be drifting away from Union Railway minister Mamata Banerjee's party and its agenda.

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"Mamata's agenda is not ours… The meeting (on August 9) was, to state it candidly, hijacked by Mamata and her party for petty political gains," top Maoist leader Mallojula Koteswar Rao alias Kishanji said in a letter sent to social activist Swami Agnivesh who is conducting peace talks between the Maoists and the Centre. "Whether she (Mamata) will consistently oppose Santrash or the operation of the joint forces is a matter to be settled by none but Mamata herself," Kishanji said.

Narrating his party's grouse against Trinamool rally, he said, "Now let us refer to some bitter facts. What (had) transpired (at the meeting) was much less a peace initiative than a political move by the way of (making) tall, clichéd promises to wean away the Jungle Mahal people away from the PCAPA or the CPI (Maoist) camp to pave the way for Mamata and her party."

CBI's probe into Gyaneshwari train accident in West Midnapore district in May that led to the loss of over 150 lives was allegedly orchestrated by many top operatives of the PCAPA.

"The women of Lalgarh had this minimum expectation that you (referring to Mamata) would address the shocking case…of mass rape at Sonamukhi and the cold-blooded murder of many tribal women," Kishanji added. He was referring to allegations that security personnel had misbehaved with local women at Sonamukhi village, Jhargram, on June 30.