In the past, Trinamool Congress chief Mamata Banerjee had maintained “there are no Maoists in West Bengal” and that the situation in Jangalmahal region in the State was the result of “infighting among the Marxists,” but the Chief Minister on Saturday lashed out at the rebels, without naming them outright, labelling them “supari killers,” “jungle mafia” and “cowardly goons hiding in the forests.”
A little over a year ago, at a rally in Lalgarh, Ms. Banerjee stirred a controversy when she had offered her “respects to the soul of Comrade Azad,” the Communist Party of India (Maoist) Central Committee spokesperson who was controversially killed in an encounter. However, speaking at a public rally at Jhargram during the day, Ms. Banerjee claimed that the Maoists “do not have any ideology.”
Not once in the course of her hour-long address did she name the Maoists outright, but Ms. Banerjee condemned the cowardice of “the killers who come in groups of 20 on motorbikes under the cover of darkness, commit a murder and scamper off.”
“There is no ‘ism' involved. It is neither Marxism nor Maoism nor the politics of Congress nor nationalism. It is only the politics of killing,” she said adding that “they are misusing names.”
Ms. Banerjee even dared them to “come murder me if you have the courage to do so.”
“Come and fight with us face-to-face to see whether democracy is a stronger force or anarchy. Come and confront us in Jhargram itself. I promise you the police will not be present. You shall stand with your comrades and I with the public,” she said. The irony of her remarks was striking as there was a huge security deployment on the grounds where the rally was held.
Ms. Banerjee said she and her party had worked on human rights issues for a long time and the Maoists had no right to speak to her about human rights violations. Citing an example, she said that when the police went to arrest suspected murderers in Jangalmahal, they were accused of human rights violations and of outraging the modesty of the women of the family of the accused.
“No other State has done this, only the West Bengal government has set up 13 human rights courts. If you have genuine cases approach these courts,” she said.
