The alleged links between the Trinamool Congress and the Maoists were reiterated at a Left Front rally in Lalgarh in Paschim Medinipur district of West Bengal on Friday.
This is significant as it is the first public meeting held by the Left there since the area became an epicentre of Maoist activities and the Maoist-backed Police Santrash Birodhi Janasadharaner Committee (PSBJC) two years ago.
“Trinamool chief Mamata Banerjee was unsuccessful in ousting the Communist Party of India (Marxist) from this region so she asked Maoist leader Kishenji to do this task for them,” said Sushanta Ghosh, Minister of Paschimanchal Unnayan Affairs.
Kishenji is now repeatedly saying that he wants to see Ms. Banerjee as the next Chief Minister, he added.
Dipak Sarkar, secretary, District Committee of the CPI(M), attended the rally.
The rally was held less than two months after a large number of CPI (M) supporters, evicted from their homes in the face of Maoist onslaught, returned. Bearing the party flag, an estimated 12,000 people marched from Dharampur to Lalgarh and reopened the CPI (M) local committee office there, closed since June 16, 2009.
Commenting on the rally, Biman Bose, Chairman of the State Left Front Committee, told journalists that it was not fair to compare it with Trinamool's August 9 rally addressed by Ms. Banerjee.
Asked about the controversy over the exchange of letters between Home Minister P. Chidambaram and West Bengal Chief Minister Buddhadeb Bhattacharjee, Mr. Bose said that the language of Mr. Chidambaram's letter resembled that of the deputation submitted to him by the Trinamool. “We are only asking Mr. Chidambaram not to act in a partisan manner.”
