Mamata better bet than CPI(M) for now, says Naxal chief

Even as the Naxalites deny any nexus with Mamata Banerjee’s Trinamool Congress, their top boss, Ganapathy, in a rare interview admitted her demand for a Central Bureau of Investigation probe into the recent police killing of party leader Azad would “help the struggle of the people”.

The reclusive Naxal boss (whose name till he went underground was Muppalla Lakshmana Rao), in an email to select reporters, also said if Banerjee came to power, “keeping in view the election promises she had made, she may temporarily stop attacks on the people”.

He said a Banerjee government in Kolkata would not bring any fundamental change but if “Trinamool comes to power after a long rule of social fascists, it would definitely try hard to gain a tight grip over the administration”.

While Ganapathy categorically ruled out any “open or undercover relations with Trinamool”, Ganapathy also observed that “on some occasions even ruling classes may talk in the interest of the people”.

In a detailed reply on Banerjee, Ganapathy said, “When such people talk in the interests of the people, we would examine them concretely. As the contradictions among the enemies are indirect reserves for the proletariat. Depending on the concrete situation, our party would clearly state its stand. Our party would never support or oppose such things blindly. But people should seriously try to understand their class nature and their political and economic policies and should not entertain any illusions about them.”

Enemy’s enemy
Comparing the CPI(M) with a tiger and Banerjee’s possible rule as a “hug of a bear”, Ganapathy said, “For (people of West Bengal) the tiger in the front is more dangerous than the bear which is at their back. But after they chase away the tiger they cannot escape the bear’s hug. Our party would continue to caution the people about this danger, too. We would ask them to chase away the bear, too, in the future.”

Adding: “Trinamool took up arms to fight CPI (M). So, in order to fight back these attacks and to come to power in the next elections, it is natural for Mamata to speak some words to attract the people. Now in the upcoming assembly elections, the competition would be even more tough. If she has to come to power now, she is compelled to talk as if she is on the people’s side.”

The top Maoist leader admitted his party had “suffered a severe backlash with the death of Azad” but still gave some conditions for any dialogue with the Union government.

These are: ‘Operation Green Hunt’, the supposed military-type campaign to hunt Naxals should be stopped and paramilitary forces withdrawn. The ban on the CPI (Maoist) should be lifted and party leaders released from jail.

As before, the Naxal brass has denied any hand in the Jnaneswari Express derailment of end-May, which killed 150, where an official inquiry had said was due to sabotage of the track.