People's Democracy

Editorial

Trinamul-Maoist Nexus

Endangers National Security

THROUGH these columns, we had been repeatedly exposing the diabolic nexus between the Trinamul Congress and the Maoists in West Bengal. If any reconfirmation was ever necessary, it has now come in a resounding manner through voluntary declarations by leaders of both the Trinamul and the Maoists that have appeared in the media. 

Trinamul Congress MP from the Jadavpur Lok Sabha constituency, Shri Kabir Suman,  has recently launched his autobiographical narrative named `Nishner nam Taposhi Malik’  (the name of the flag is Taposhi Malik). The book, significantly, has been dedicated to Kishenji, the Polit Bureau member of CPI(Maoist) operating in West Bengal.  In the book, Mr Suman has given an eye witness account of a meeting held in Trinamul Congress headquarters in Kolkata attended by two individuals – Raja Sarkhel and Prasun Chattopadhyaya – who are at present in judicial  custody booked under certain provisions of the UAPA for their links  with the Maoists.  The concerned meeting, Shri Suman informs, was also attended by Ms Mamata Banerjee and Shri Sougata Roy who are currently ministers of the UPA government.  The meeting discussed  the possibilities of intervention  in Nandigram in which implicitly the Maoists would also be involved. 

The Maoists have earlier given detailed accounts of their involvement in Nandigram with  the Trinamul Congress through public statements which have never been contradicted.   The media reported on January 8, 2009 the following:  “To wipe out CPI(M) from West Bengal, we must work together with all parties of the ruling class like, Trinamool Congress, Congress, BJP etc. The CPI(Maoist) document, titled `Some important problems and its solutions’ was circulated to the members after the incidents of Shalboni and Lalgarh.  We must get all ruling parties associated as long they desire to be.  We call CPI(M) as a Social Fascist organisation.  Relations with Trinamool Congress and railway minister Mamata Banerjee must be strengthened.” 

Such reports appeared periodically in various sections of the media all through the year.  More exposures came in 2010.  The Bengali daily, Aaj Kal, reported under the heading “Maoist leader detained from TMC leaders car” on November 10, 2010, the following: “Maoist leader Kanchan Deb Singh was arrested from Trinamool block president Nepal  Singh’s car in Shalbani. Police stopped the car for checking and recognised Kanchan inside the car.  Nepal Singh as well as Kanchan was taken to the police station though the block president was released within no time. Kanchan was associated with the PSBJC arms training in 2008. He was charged with various landmine blasts, looting of police van etc.”

The Delhi edition of The Hindustan Times has reported on January 5, 2011 a media statement : “purportedly signed by CPI(Maoist) West Bengal state committee member Vikram said: `We want our movement-oriented alliance with Mamata Banerjee to flourish…”.    Further: “The declaration said both Maoists and TMC were silent on their alliance because of political compulsions, but they are coming out in the open as there is nothing more to hide.  `We fought together during the struggles in Singur, Nandigram….”

It is now, clearly, beyond doubt that the Trinamul Congress had provided and continues to provide both the political cover and all assistance for the Maoists to penetrate into West Bengal in order to be used to mount terror attacks against the CPI(M) cadre and the common people aiming at extracting electoral benefit in the forthcoming elections. 

We had drawn attention earlier to an irreconcilable contradiction within the UPA. On the one hand, the prime minister describes the Maoists as “posing the single gravest threat to India’s internal security”.  On the other, in the union cabinet led by this very prime minister, there are members of the Trinamul Congress who are collaborating with the Maoists in order to achieve electoral gains at the expense of jeopardising India’s internal security. 

Can this be allowed?  Can such crass political opportunism (to retain a majority for the government) that endangers our country’s unity and integrity be permissible?   Further, can such diabolic and cynical politics, for the sake of electoral gains that  destroys democracy, peace and development so crucially required for creating better livelihood conditions for our people be tolerated? 

Such politics, for the sake of not only Bengal and its people but for the sake of India and its people, needs to be defeated if the struggle for building a better India has to be carried forward.  

January 5, 2011