Bhattacharjee

Calcutta, Dec. 4: The chief minister today told the Assembly that the outfit leading the tribal protest in West Midnapore was being steered by a Trinamul Congress leader who is the brother of a wanted Maoist.

The leader of the People’s Committee Against Police Atrocities, Chhatradhar Mahato, “is the brother of the wanted Maoist action squad leader, Sasadhar Mahato. Sasadhar’s group is known as the Lalgarh squad”, Buddhadeb Bhattacharjee said. This is the first time he has linked the Trinamul to the tribal agitation.

“We have come to know that the Lalgarh squad had carried out the November 2 blast. Sasadhar is an underground Maoist action squad leader, while his (elder) brother Chhatradhar is leading the People’s Committee Against Police Atrocities and creating trouble. Chhatradhar is a Trinamul leader,” he said.

“Can a dialogue work with these men?” Bhattacharjee asked. “These Maoists are trained in Jharkhand and are being sent to our state to unleash violence.’’

Leader of Opposition Partha Chatterjee immediately said: “The person you named doesn’t belong to our party. You are unnecessarily insinuating us.”

Bhattacharjee’s claim in the House was different from what he had said earlier today, asked if the rebels had the support of any political party. “I don’t want to make an allegation that the Trinamul or the Congress is directly behind the Maoists.... Some Congress leaders are sending rice and dal to the men, while Chhatradhar Mahato was earlier with the Trinamul,” he had said.

Bhattacharjee had linked Trinamul to the Maoists during the Nandigram trouble.

Reacting to his statement, Trinamul chief Mamata Banerjee said: “Nothing is wrong if two members of a family support different parties. The movement is not led by the Trinamul.’’

Villagers backed by the CPM today removed blockades on roads connecting Midnapore to Jhargram and Lalgarh.