Kisenji calls Marxists for help

Pushed to the wall following the heavy military offensive, top Maoist leaders have started approaching different leaders in West Bengal for immediate withdrawal of forces from the jungles of Lalgarh in West Midnapore district.

Underground Maoist leader Koteshwar Rao alias Kisenji informed a section of the  media that he called up West Bengal chief minister Buddhadeb Bhattacharjee,  PWD minister Kshiti Goswami and CPI general secretary AB Bardhan asking them to discuss the withdrawal of combined forces at Left Front meetings.

While Bhattacharjee denied having spoken to Kisenji, Goswami confirmed Kisenji’s claims. After an emergency Left Front meeting here on Monday, Goswami told reporters that he talked to Kisenji over the telephone around three months ago. “He asked me to insist on withdrawal of combined forces from Lalgarh in Left Front meetings. But I told him that administrative issues of such a stature cannot be discussed over the telephone,” Goswami said. CPI sources confirmed the telephonic conversation with Bardhan, but refused to divulge the details.

When specifically asked on this issue, Left Front chairman and CPI(M) state secretary Biman Bose said the matter was not discussed at Monday’s meeting. On whether there had been any discussion in the Left Front on opening dialogues with Maoists, Bose said, “The matter was not on the agenda of Monday’s meeting.”