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Agartala (Tripura), Jan 24 (ANI): Communist Party of India-Marxist (CPI-M) General Secretary Prakash Karat has said the Maoists are better equipped than the civil police in terms of weapons.

Addressing media here on Sunday, Karat said: “No state police is capable of combating the Maoists alone.

“First thing this is not a purely West Bengal problem, the Maoists are operating in at least seven states. In Jharkhand and Chhattisgarh this problem is very serious and we have to see the West Bengal situation not separate from what is happening in Jharkhand and the neighboring states,” he said.

“It cannot be dealt with one state police also, not the question of intelligence alone, no state police can at present meet the Maoist challenge because Maoists are much better equipped in terms of weapons and they are resorting guerilla tactics which cannot be dealt with the civilian state police alone,” he added.

Expressing concern over the growing Maoist influence in West Bengal, Karat accused the UPA ally, Trinamool Congress, of openly collaborating with the Maoists to target CPI(M) leaders and supporters.

He further said despite handing over of evidence that the Trinamool Congress and Maoists have a nexus, the Central Government is not taking any action in the regard.

” West Bengal Chief Minister met Union Home Minister and submitted all the details of the cooperation or collaboration between the Trinamool Congress and the Maoists, all the evidence has been submitted. But the Central Government prefers to turn a blind eye to this collaboration,” said Karat.

Criticising the UPA government’s decision to allow foreign investment in retail trade, Karat said that the Left parties would resit forward trading by foreign companies in essential items.

He said that nine parties, including four Left parties, the Telugu Desam Party and the All India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam, would stage a sit-in demonstration on February 3 to protest against the sky-rocketing prices of essential commodities. (ANI)