‘Mamata first supported Maoists, then did U-turn after becoming CM’

Sushil Roy, CPI Politburo member, was arrested in 2005 and currently undergoing treatment for a kidney aliment at AIIMS.

CPI(MAOIST) Politburo member Sushil Roy has said that Trinamool Congress chief Mamata Banerjee first "posed as a supporter of the Maoists' cause and then did a quick somersault after becoming Chief Minister".

Roy, 76, who was arrested in 2005, is undergoing treatment for a kidney aliment at Delhi's All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS) at present.

"While she was in the Opposition, Mamata first tried to act as if the Maoists had no significant presence. As the elections drew near, and the Singur, Nandigram and Lalgarh people's movements emerged as a big force, she realised that with the support base of the Maoists widening, it would be beneficial to pose as a supporter and sympathiser," he said. "She did a quick somersault on occupying the Chief Minister's chair and began to show her true colours... The brutal murder of Kishenji left no doubt of her real political and military character," he added.

"Maoists look forward to broaden the sphere of mutual help and cooperation not only with the Northeast insurgent groups but also with the separatists in Kashmir and with various persecuted minorities such as Muslims," said Roy in response to a written questionnaire. He, however, added that though the Maoists support the struggle of various Northeast insurgent groups, there is no "active military help between the two."

"Maoists have to consistently wage an internal struggle against non-proletarian trends... Overcoming all the internal shortcomings and weaknesses is also a major challenge for Maoists these days," he said.

He dismissed former home minister P Chidambaram's call to Maoists to surrender arms and begin talks as just "empty rhetoric", adding that the "government steps up action whenever the Maoists put their arms on hold".

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