Vote out killer Maoists, says CM Buddha

Buddhadeb Bhattacherjee took his tirade against the Maoists into their den on Tuesday, when he addressed a rally in Jhargram. HT reports.

Buddhadeb Bhattacherjee took his tirade against the Maoists into their den on Tuesday, when he addressed a rally in Jhargram.

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"Your votes on May 10 will decide whether Jhargram will be dominated by killer Maoists or not. They had entered the towns too, but we forced them on the back foot," the Bengal CM said, describing them as the prime enemy in West Midnapore.

Bhattacherjee, who returned to Jangalmahal for the first time since an attack on him on November 2, 2008, declared he would never let Maoist supporter Chhatradhar Mahato come out of the jail. Mahato is the spokesperson of the Maoist-backed Peoples' Committee Against Police Atrocities and is fighting as an Independent against CPM man Amar Basu.

Throughout his 20-minute speech the CM did not mention Mahato. But his call was clear enough when he said, "Through these polls, we have to defeat the Maoists, defeat the PCAPA and defeat the Trinamool, as well."

He minced no words in slamming the PCAPA.

"The Maoists have formed a group called PCAPA. What peoples' committee is it? It's a killers' committee instead."