(22:00)
Kolkata, Nov 18 (IANS) In the wake of recent life threats to the state food minister by the Maoists, West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee Friday indicated that the Communist Party of India-Marxist (CPI-M) was engaging in a “joint conspiracy” with the left-wing radicals for killing her Trinamool party leaders.
“I am more concerned about the safety of the common man. For the last 35 years there have been several conspiracies to kill me but I have survived all the attempts. I feel that a ‘joint conspiracy’ is going on but I am not at all worried about that. I am only interested in development of Bengal,” said Banerjee.
“Who are Maoists and who are Marxists, that is really hard to differentiate. I respect Left-minded people. But I fail to understand those people who are Marxists in the morning and Maoists in the evening. This is a joint conspiracy,” said Banerjee.
Several Maoist posters have surfaced at Khadya Bhavan – the office of Food Minister Jyotipriyo Mullick. The posters stated that they want to kill Mullick.
“What will they do with so many heads? How come a Maoist poster surfaces in the state food department headquarters? It must be someone from one of the unions which is neither affiliated to Trinamool Congress nor to any nationalist party. There is a person who works in Writers’ Building who is also affiliated to one such union and is doing the same things all around. There is a NGO in Jadavpore which believes in extreme left ideologies but gets lots of foreign funds and helps those Maoists,” Banerjee said.
Banerjee, however, said she is not at all worried over these threats.
“I am not at all worried about those threats. Those who fail to fight in terms of development engage in such things. This ‘joint conspiracy’ has its partners in Delhi also. That is why I am calling it joint conspiracy,” she said.
Asked whether she is hinting at any government in New Delhi or any party organisation, she said: “I am taking about political organisation only. Those who have ruined Bengal in the last three decades, and have pushed the state towards a debt trap are now taking the name of Maoists, to remove the attention of the people from the misrule they have done.”