‘Forces will have to leave’

He might not be the face of the Maoist movement, as Kishanji is, but he is the brain behind it. Kanchan, the state secretary of CPI (Maoist), is the man who directed the Salboni uprising in November 2008 in which West Bengal CM Buddhadeb Bhattacharjee and Union steel minister Ramvilas Paswan nearly lost their lives. Right now, he’s supervising the upsurge in Lalgarh. Kanchan told DNA before the Central ban was announced that he is determined to strengthen the movement.
 
Was the Salboni blast of November 2008 your handiwork?
It was the verdict of the people. They wanted to give the death sentence to chief minister Buddhadeb Bhattacharjee. We merely tried to implement it. Fortunately for him, the wire connecting to the landmine was placed in a paddy field. Rats chew up the wire and the landmine could not be blasted.
 
How long do you think will you be able to hold on at Lalgarh?
We can go on for ever. It is a people’s movement and nowhere in the world has a people’s movement been crushed by state-sponsored terrorism. The people are resisting them and we are just acting as the nurturing agent. Even if the security forces remain here for years, they will not able to take control of the region. Ultimately, the forces will have to retreat.
 
Do you admit that the People’s Committee against Police Atrocities (PCPA) is only backed by your group?
This is a people’s movement and we are just helping them. The committee was formed to stop the police from harassing villagers in the name of investigation. We oppose harassment and are supporting the people of the area.
 
Is there no scope for discussion?
 Discussion is open all the time. But the government should initiate it by unconditionally stopping the movement of the forces. Unless they do that no discussion can take place.
 
Your leader Kishanji asked the Trinamool chief to publicly support the Lalgarh movement. What is your call on that?
My call is no different. Mamata says she’s all for people’s movements. She sought our cooperation during the uprising in Nandigram and we supported her since we felt that was what the people wanted. But why is she silent on the operation by the combined forces directed against the people of Lalgarh? As a minister, she must take an initiative to stop this. However, we heard that she has expressed her displeasure to the Union government after it sent central forces to Lalgarh without discussing the matter with her. We hope that good sense prevails and she continues to support the people’s movement at Lalgarh.