The recent disclosure by Maoist Politburo member Kishanji that it had helped the Congress in Andhra Pradesh and had been helping The Trinamool Congress in West Bengal may put the UPA in an embarrassing spot .
MAOIST LEADER Koteswar Rao’s recent disclosure may put the UPA government at the Centre in an embarrassing situation, especially after Prime Minister Manmohan Singh’s repeated assertion that the Maoists are the greatest threat to the country’s internal security.
Koteswar Rao alias Kishanji in a recent interview to a local vernacular daily disclosed how the Maoists had helped the Congress in Andhra Pradesh and had been helping the Trinamool Congress in West Bengal.
In his interview, Kishanji said the Maoists had helped the Congress only to defeat the then government of Chandrababu Naidu. After Y. Rajasekhara Reddy, who recently died in a helicopter crash, had come to power the Andhra Pradesh government initiated a dialogue with the Maoists, which later failed. The Maoist leader openly advocated the cause of Trinamool Congress chief Mamata Banerjee as the next Chief Minister of West Bengal and said the Maoists had been working hand in hand with Banerjee’s party in Lalgarh and other areas of Jangalmahal, Khejuri, Singur and Nandigram to ensure her victory in the next Assembly elections in the state. He also advised Banerjee to sever ties with the Congress and continue to fight the CPI(M) with the support of his organization. Intelligence sources said the Maoists continue to be very much active in East Midnapore district and the murder of Nishikanta Mondal, the Trinamool leader of Sonachura in Nandigram, was a recent case in point. They alleged that Mondal was actively opposing the Maoists and was an influential leader of his party and paid the price. The Maoists, who later claimed responsibility, murdered Mondal. Political observers felt that the Trinamool Congress had played into the hands of Maoists for their survival in the state. “Despite knowing the facts about the close links, if the Congress continues to have an electoral alliance with the Trinamool Congress the UPA may be accused of giving indirect support to the rebels,” they observed.
The said both the Prime Minister and the Home Minister had rightly described the Maoists as a bunch of cold blooded murderers and the UPA government should not go for an alliance with any political party, which has any link with the Maoists.
“The Congress and the UPA should prevail upon the Trinamool Congress and force the state party to sever all ties with the Maoists before further continuing with the existing alliance,” they pointed out. They said though some vested quarters had accused the CPI(M) of taking Maoist help in Garbeta to combat the Trinamool-BJP armed squads some years ago; there was no confirmation or evidence of any such help. “The Maoists have never claimed that they had helped the CPI(M) in any such situation. On the other hand, the CPI(M) has not only denied any such help but also described such an allegation as the wild imagination of certain vested interests. In fact, failing to gain ground from the CPI(M), the Trinamool Congress sought the help of the Maoists (PWG) and the incident of Chhoto Angaria is a case in point,” they observed. The observers said Banerjee had indirectly taken advantage of the Maoist depredations that had helped her to a large extent to immobilize the CPM machinery in parts of southern districts of the state. “Since she is now distancing herself from Maoists, her ranks and sympathizers in these districts are in a quandary. They can neither snap links with the Maoists instantly nor can they align with security forces,” they pointed out.
