New Delhi, Jan. 6: Kabir Suman can hope to gain at least one more reader who in normal course would have found it difficult to read Nishaner Naam Tapasi Malik.

Led by the CPM, a depleted “secular” group today braved the early morning chill to not only give home minister P. Chidambaram a copy of the Trinamul Congress MP’s book but also offer to translate it into English.

The CPM has not yet become the official book- promotion agent of the rebellious Trinamul MP but the objective is to pile heat on Mamata Banerjee over her alleged nexus with the Maoists. The book has some references to such links.

The Forward Bloc and the RSP, however, stayed off the delegation to North Block, unwilling perhaps to suffer the cold with the CPM.

An MP each from the two parties — Manohar Tirkey (RSP) and Narhari Mahato (AIFB) — added their signature to the memorandum handed over to the home minister.

From the “secular opposition” bloc, only two parties — the Janata Dal (Secular) and the TDP — were represented. The CPM had said that a delegation of non-BJP and non-Congress parties would meet the home minister.

Only five members — three from the CPM, one from the CPI and one from the JD(S) — constituted the delegation.

“The programme was finalised last evening. So, a lot of leaders could not make it,” politburo member Sitaram Yechury said.

But the CPM leader sought to disregard the numbers and claimed that they had succeeded in making out a strong case before the home minister.

“The home minister repeated thrice that he would look into the matter seriously and impartially,” Yechury declared outside North Block while he shivered in the icy wind.

Chidambaram had granted the leaders an appointment at 9.45am.

Yechury said the delegation had used two exhibits, Suman’s book and a statement of Maoist leader Vikram, to back their charge that the Maoists had come under the Trinamul flag to spread terror and anarchy.

The translation of the relevant portions of the book was put in the memorandum for the home minister. “We also offered to translate the entire book,” Yechury said.

“This is not about political allegations between the CPM and Trinamul. It is about the country’s internal security. How can this government continue with this contradiction?” Yechury asked, stressing that “the new facts” had conclusively vindicated the reality of a nexus between the Maoists and Trinamul.

Asked why they were not demanding Mamata’s removal from the cabinet based on the revelations in the book, he said: “The issue is graver. It is about the country’s internal security. The Prime Minister has said that Maoist violence is the gravest threat to our internal security.”

“How can he run the government with a partner whose nexus with Maoists have now been vindicated?”