I am unaware of Chhatradhar's past, says Mahasweta Devi

As the West Bengal government insists that arrested PCPA leader Chhatradhar Mahato has links with Maoists, Magsaysay awardee writer Mahasweta Devi today said she was not aware of his Maoist connections.

“I am unaware whether Chhatradhar is a Maoist. Once, he came to my house with a group of women and crew of a TV channel. When I was told that the women were Maoists, I drove away all of them, including Chhatradhar,” she said.

Mahasweta said she had, however, met Mahato several times and added, “In all the meetings, I asked him to campaign against SEZs or to demand ration cards for the poor.”