Home Minister P Chidambaram’s Maoists were your “comrades-in-arms” swipe at the CPM has left the Marxists seething with anger, in a way disturbing the increasing convergence of views between the UPA government and the major Left party on the Naxal issue. CPM general secretary Prakash Karat issued a statement on Saturday asking Chidambaram to stop making “irrelevant feints” against the party and instead sort out the “glaring contradiction” within the Union Cabinet where one of his colleagues (read Mamata Banerjee) takes positions that are “contrary” to that of the Home Ministry and the government.

“It is surprising that the Union Home Minister has chosen to ignore the history of the Naxalite movement. Far from being the CPM’s comrades-in-arms, the Maoists have always been unremittingly hostile to the CPM, killing hundreds of CPM cadres and supporters in West Bengal,” Karat said.

Referring to Banerjee, Karat said the Union Railway Minister had made known her displeasure about the joint operations in Lalgarh, demanded recall of the central forces and extended support to a front organisation of the Maoists while another Trinamool Minister has publicly admitted to knowing in advance about the Rajdhani train stoppage.

“Evidently, the Home Minister is put in an unenviable position when a colleague of his in the Cabinet takes positions that are contrary to that of his ministry and government. It would be better if Chidambaram took the initiative to sort out this glaring contradiction within the Cabinet and not make irrelevant feints against the CPM.”

... contd.