Thaindian News

Kolkata, May 21 (IANS) Alleging that a section of the top Trinamool Congress leadership was hand-in-glove with the Maoists, West Bengal Chief Minister Buddhadeb Bhattacharjee Friday charged the opposition activists with helping the Leftwing guerrillas kill ruling Communist Party of India-Marxist (CPI-M) cadres.
“There are four-five state level Trinamool Congress leaders who have links with the Maoist rebels,” Bhattacharjee said in an interview to Bengali news channel Star Ananda.

Making the startling allegation, the chief minister said the Trinamool workers were guiding the rebels to the house of the Marxist cadres in the villages.

“The rebels are following more or less the same modus operandi. After midnight they would knock on the doors of the Marxist workers. Once they came out they would be dragged to a jungle and killed.”

“Then the bodies will be kept on the road to be shown in the media. Now question is, the Maoists do not know the exact houses of the Marxist workers. So how come they are knocking at the right doors? The Trinamool people guiding the rebels to the right addresses,” the chief minister said.

Asked why he was not arresting the Trinamool members in cahoots with the Maoists, Bhattacharjee said: “Some lower level (Trinamool) leaders have already been arrested for being hand-in-glove with the Maoists….at the top level I am trying to keep my options open. I want to see for a few more days.”

Bhattacharjee, however, refused to name the leaders.

“From a political viewpoint, we want to bring this issue to the people.”

He said a senior Trinamool Congress leader held a meeting with the Maoists and the People’s Committee Against Political Atrocities (PCAPA) representatives to organise a meeting at the rebel-affected Pirakata in West Midnapore district.

“We have all the details,” the chief minister asserted.