UPA in a tight spot over Trinamool-Maoist links
In West Bengal, being frustrated with repeated electoral defeats a section of the opposition party members first contacted the Peoples War Group to fight the ruling Marxists. But their attempt failed with the Chhoto Angaria incident.
MAOISTS HAVE been spreading their networks in several districts of North and South Bengal, besides the Jangal Mahal corridor of West Midnapore, Bankura and Purulia despite several measures taken by the Central and state governments.
A senior intelligence official said the Maoists had been trying to spread their network in West Bengal with direct and indirect support of the main opposition parties like the Trinamool Congress. Well before the agitation of Nandigram, the Maoists joined hand with a section of the opposition party activists in North and South 24 Parganas, Nadia, Mursidabad and Birbhum to spread their network.
“We have a number of police reports from these districts that Maoists are threatening the villagers to join them or face consequences like loot and rape. In a number of cases the women victims have alleged that the Maoists aided by a section of opposition party supporters have threatened that they would be raped if they refuse to join hands with the Maoists,” the senior official said.
It was nothing new that Maoists created fear psychosis among the villagers and tribals before spreading their base by threatening them to kill, loot and rape. Moreover, their kangaroo courts were even worse than the concentration camps of the Nazis or Talibans, he pointed out.
In West Bengal, he said, being frustrated with repeated electoral defeats a section of the opposition party members first contacted the Peoples War Group to fight the ruling Marxists.
“But their attempt failed with the Chhoto Angaria incident. After keeping quiet for some time, they once again tried to contact the combination of all Naxal organisations, the CPI(Maoist),” he observed.
The official said the state government’s decision to acquire lands in Nandigram for Petrochem hub as per the recommendation of an assembly Committee headed by Sudip Bandopadhyay came handy for the Maoists and the opposition parties, including Bhumi Uchched Committee led by an expelled member of the CPI(M).
“All these forces join hands in Nadigram. The Maoists, who were earlier adopting hit and run tactics from Jharkhand, sent armed cadres to Nandigram to strengthen the opposition movement. As now revealed by the arrested Maoist leaders, the red ultras even supplied sophisticated arms, including long distance rifles to local Trinamool Congress leaders to fight the police and the CPI(M) cadres and activists,” he pointed out.
Arrested Maoist leaders like Telegu Dipak and Madhusudan had confessed to the police that the rebels had indeed supplied sophisticated firearms, including long distance rifles, to Trinamool Congress and Killed Trinamool Congress Panchayat head of Nandigram Nishikanta Mondal for his refusal to return the arms or pay for those.
“In lieu of their support in Nandigram, Singur and Khejuri, the Maoist demanded a base for training and armed operations in Jangal Mahal. That is why the Peoples Committee against police atrocities was formed by Chhatradhar Mahato, a close associate of several Trinamool Congress leaders. The PCPA ultimately emerged as the frontal organisation of the Maoists. With the help of PCPA the Maoist went on annihilating the local CPI(M) leaders and activists.
The Maoist leaders also issued statements in support of Mamata Banerjee saying they want to see Banerjee as the next Chief Minister of the state,” he pointed out.
For quite some time the Left Front leaders have been alleging close links between the Maoists and the Trinamool Congress, while Mamata Banerjee continues with her gimmick of shielding the Maoist saying that that there is no Maoist in West Bengal and all these killings in the Jungle Mahal are being carried out by the goons of the CPI(M).
But as Railway Minister, Mamata Banerjee learnt a bitter lesson when the Maoists attacked a passenger train killing nearly 200 passengers of Gyaneswari Express. Mamata Banerjee refused to accept the role of the Maoists and demanded a CBI probe into the ghastly incident. But Mamata Banerjee was not alone in her demand. The pro-Mamata band of intellectuals, the Maoists and even Bapi Mahato, the main culprit behind heinous act, also demanded a CBI inquiry.
The CBI, however, could not satisfy Banerjee, her group of intellectuals and the Maoists. The CBI reaffirmed the findings of the West Bengal Police that a Maoist faction led by Bapi Mahato was responsible for the massacre.
The Centre is faced with a peculiar situation. The Prime Minister says Maoists are the biggest threat to the country’s internal security. The Home Minister is forced to launch joint operations against the Maoists. But the Railway Minister and ministers from her party are virtually defending the Maoists by denying their presence in West Bengal.
The United Progressive Alliance government at the Centre is apparently in a tight spot with the Prime Minister repeatedly warning against the danger of Maoist activities and UPA’s largest partner Trinamool Congress tacitly supporting the red rebels for narrow political gains in West Bengal.
“We have a number of police reports from these districts that Maoists are threatening the villagers to join them or face consequences like loot and rape. In a number of cases the women victims have alleged that the Maoists aided by a section of opposition party supporters have threatened that they would be raped if they refuse to join hands with the Maoists,” the senior official said.
It was nothing new that Maoists created fear psychosis among the villagers and tribals before spreading their base by threatening them to kill, loot and rape. Moreover, their kangaroo courts were even worse than the concentration camps of the Nazis or Talibans, he pointed out.
In West Bengal, he said, being frustrated with repeated electoral defeats a section of the opposition party members first contacted the Peoples War Group to fight the ruling Marxists.
“But their attempt failed with the Chhoto Angaria incident. After keeping quiet for some time, they once again tried to contact the combination of all Naxal organisations, the CPI(Maoist),” he observed.
The official said the state government’s decision to acquire lands in Nandigram for Petrochem hub as per the recommendation of an assembly Committee headed by Sudip Bandopadhyay came handy for the Maoists and the opposition parties, including Bhumi Uchched Committee led by an expelled member of the CPI(M).
“All these forces join hands in Nadigram. The Maoists, who were earlier adopting hit and run tactics from Jharkhand, sent armed cadres to Nandigram to strengthen the opposition movement. As now revealed by the arrested Maoist leaders, the red ultras even supplied sophisticated arms, including long distance rifles to local Trinamool Congress leaders to fight the police and the CPI(M) cadres and activists,” he pointed out.
Arrested Maoist leaders like Telegu Dipak and Madhusudan had confessed to the police that the rebels had indeed supplied sophisticated firearms, including long distance rifles, to Trinamool Congress and Killed Trinamool Congress Panchayat head of Nandigram Nishikanta Mondal for his refusal to return the arms or pay for those.
“In lieu of their support in Nandigram, Singur and Khejuri, the Maoist demanded a base for training and armed operations in Jangal Mahal. That is why the Peoples Committee against police atrocities was formed by Chhatradhar Mahato, a close associate of several Trinamool Congress leaders. The PCPA ultimately emerged as the frontal organisation of the Maoists. With the help of PCPA the Maoist went on annihilating the local CPI(M) leaders and activists.
The Maoist leaders also issued statements in support of Mamata Banerjee saying they want to see Banerjee as the next Chief Minister of the state,” he pointed out.
For quite some time the Left Front leaders have been alleging close links between the Maoists and the Trinamool Congress, while Mamata Banerjee continues with her gimmick of shielding the Maoist saying that that there is no Maoist in West Bengal and all these killings in the Jungle Mahal are being carried out by the goons of the CPI(M).
But as Railway Minister, Mamata Banerjee learnt a bitter lesson when the Maoists attacked a passenger train killing nearly 200 passengers of Gyaneswari Express. Mamata Banerjee refused to accept the role of the Maoists and demanded a CBI probe into the ghastly incident. But Mamata Banerjee was not alone in her demand. The pro-Mamata band of intellectuals, the Maoists and even Bapi Mahato, the main culprit behind heinous act, also demanded a CBI inquiry.
The CBI, however, could not satisfy Banerjee, her group of intellectuals and the Maoists. The CBI reaffirmed the findings of the West Bengal Police that a Maoist faction led by Bapi Mahato was responsible for the massacre.
The Centre is faced with a peculiar situation. The Prime Minister says Maoists are the biggest threat to the country’s internal security. The Home Minister is forced to launch joint operations against the Maoists. But the Railway Minister and ministers from her party are virtually defending the Maoists by denying their presence in West Bengal.
The United Progressive Alliance government at the Centre is apparently in a tight spot with the Prime Minister repeatedly warning against the danger of Maoist activities and UPA’s largest partner Trinamool Congress tacitly supporting the red rebels for narrow political gains in West Bengal.
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