By IANS,
Kolkata : A top Maoist leader in West Bengal Wednesday described the state’s ruling Communist Party of India-Marxist (CPI-M) and the main opposition Trinamool Congress as “two sides of the same coin”, and said his organisation only indulged in counter-violence against “atrocities of the ruling classes”.
Maoist leader Bikash, who is in-charge of the outfit in the state’s western districts of Bankura, Purulia and West Midnapore and is now camping at Lalgarh, also claimed that the rebels did not believe in any policy of killing individuals.
“We don’t believe in murders. See, post-poll violence is taking place in lot of places. The CPI-M is mostly responsible. Who is responsible for the violence in East Midanpore? We are not doing anything there,” Bikash told a Bengali news channel Star Ananda by phone.
Asked about his party’s role in violent incidents in the state, he said: “First people have been attacked. Then we have retaliated.”
“Killings, mass rapes, violence are the doings of Buddhadeb babu’s (West Bengal chief minister and CPI-M leader Buddhadeb Bhattacharjee) party. What we are doing is counter-violence,” he said.
This is Bikash’s second media interaction since Monday when he met reporters at Lalgarh with an assault rifle dangling from his shoulder and his back turned to the television cameras.
Political observers are interpreting his media interactions as a sign of the Maoists getting emboldened enough to come out into the open after operating silently at Lalgarh for more than six months.
On asked why the outfit killed ordinary policemen who were only doing their duty, Bikash said: “We don’t want to kill police as a matter of policy. But if the police commit atrocities on innocent people, then do you expect us to meet them with flowers?”
He appealed to the policemen not to turn their weapons against the Maoists as “we are class friends”.
“But we believe that police and other such people must leave the side of the feudal classes and come to our side. If they do not, we won’t spare them,” he said.
Denying the CPI-M allegation that his outfit was in collusion with the Trinamool, he said: “Trinamool and CPI-M are the two sides of the same coin.”
“The Trinamool won the recent Lok Sabha polls as people voted since they wanted a change. But the question is, will those people voted for be able to usher in changes?” he asked.
The Maoist leader felt had there been a proper alternative, people would have gone for it rather than reposing their faith in the Trinamool.