Trinamool using Maoists to win elections: CPI-M

Making a counter attack on Trinamool Congress, Communist Party of India-Marxist on Thursday accused the party of "collaborating" with Maoists to garner support and win elections.

"The TMC has open collaboration with the Maoists to garner support and win elections. So this is a contradiction as Maoists do not believe in our parliamentary democracy system," CPI-M leader S itaram Yechury told mediapersons.

Yechury was reacting to the statement of Partho Chatterjee, leader of the Opposition in West Bengal assembly, which appeared in some media reports. "The leader of the Opposition of TMC has made an atrocious statement...alleging me as a biggest Maoist.  

The allegations pertain to the incident when I had met Maoist leaders in Nepal and therefore they say I have not merely a soft corner for Maoists but also I myself am a Maoist," Yechury said.

He said this is an allegation which has been repeatedly made by the TMC leader (Mamata Banerjee) herself and other TMC leaders.

Terming the statement of Chatterjee as "irresponsible and malicious" Yechury said, "The whole world knows that I went to speak to the Maoists when the Maoists unilaterally decided to give up politics of violence and joined the democratic mainstream."

Making the CPI-M stand on the Maoist issue clear, he said 'ultra left' should give up politics of violence and politics of gun.

"Since the days of Naxalbari in 1966, we always have appealed to them to shun the politics of violence. You (Maoists) say what you have to say to the people and we should say what we have to say the the people. Let the people decide."

He said, "Whenever the ultra left has decided to give up violence and the join the democratic mainstream, we have talked to them."  

On the next two-phase elections in West Bengal, he said there is a presence of Maoists in certain areas in these phases and we have appealed to the Election Commission to take all possible precautions and ensure peaceful, free and fair elections in the state.