Once partied with Cong,Trinamool,now he leads tribals in West Bengal

The eldest of three brothers,Mahato was born in 1964 at a tiny hamlet of Amlia in Lalgarh. Usually referred in the government and political circles as the face of an underground Maoist outfit,he gained prominence following the Salboni blast in last November .

After clearing his Higher Secondary examination from Lalgarh Ramakrishna Mission Vidyapith,Mahato enrolled himself at Midnapore Day College where he became an active member of the Chhatra Parishad,student wing of the Congress. Rightly so,he claims to have been greatly influenced by the Congress during the 80s. When Mamata Banerjee formed the Trinamool Congress in 1998,Mahato became a supporter of the party.

Interestingly,while Banerjee clarified that the tribal leader was not a member of her party,Mahato also said,“I am a mere Trinamool supporter. I never held any post in the party.”

In 2001,Mahato and his brother Shashadhar were arrested on charges of anti-national activities and jailed for three months. After the release Shashadhar became an active Maoist activist. In fact,the three months in jail became a turning point in Mahato’s life.

“Even there was no charge against me,the police tortured me. The CPM engineered a social boycott of my family after my arrest. But I fought back,” said the diminutive man wearing a golden frame spectacles.

For the last five months,following the Salboni blasts and the alleged police atrocities on tribals,Mahato has been spearheading the movement,which he describes as a revolution against the years of oppression by the police and the Left government.

The tribal committee demands that unless the police officers apologise by holding their ears and give a written assurance against any torture in future,the committee will not allow the police to enter Lalgarh. “Many adivasis in Lalgarh cannot arrange for two meals a day,” he said.

He,however,admitted that the fight against the CPM for Jhargram Lok Sabha seat is still tough. “The chances of CPM win are strong. A one-to-one fight against the CPM would be better,” said Mahato.

While a tought battle is expected between the CPM and the Trinamool-Congress candidate,the tribals are likely to support the Naren Hansda faction of the Jharkhand Party.

Armed with traditional weapons,Mahato claimed that he can protect his people if police and CPM tried to harm them.