Trinamool Congress may not allow party MP to mediate for Maoists

Maoist leader Kishenji wants singer-turned-Trinamool MP Kabir Suman as one of the mediators for peace talks with the Centre, but the latter is unlikely to get a go-ahead from party chief Mamata Banerjee.

Though Suman was unwilling to comment on Kishenji’s proposal, he has told his confidants that if he is unable to persuade Mamata to agree to the proposal, he might overrule the party whip and take up the role.

Suman’s argument is that if writer Arundhati Roy, the other mediator named by Kishenji has no objection to participating in the talks, he shouldn’t be staying out of it, Trinamool sources told DNA.

 “According to Suman, Roy and he are from the creative world and both feel the need to play an important role in the peace talks, which will stop genocide in the name of Operation Green Hunt. However, every political party has its own rules and discipline and Suman is not above that. He cannot take an arbitrary decision,” a senior Trinamool leader said. 

Despite being opposed within his party, Suman has got the backing of several intellectuals.