Mamata demands pull back of forces from Lalgarh

KOLKATA - Railway Minister and Trinamool Congress chief Mamata Banerjee Saturday reiterated her demand to withdraw the joint forces from the Maoist-dominated Lalgarh area in West Bengal and warned of protests if things do not change in two-three days.

“I again iterate my demand to withdraw joint forces from Lalgarh. I have been saying this for the last one year,” said Mamata Banerjee while addressing a mammoth rally at Singur.

“The CPI-M (Communist Party of Indian-Marxist) is using this joint forces operation as a shield and is building (its own) armed camps over there. Our party delegation led by opposition leader Partho Chaterjee had met the president and told her about the situation in Lalgarh,” she said.

The operation by the joint forces (comprising West Bengal police and the Central Reserve Police Force) started in Lalgarh in June 2009 to flush out the Maoist from that area.

“If the joint forces are not withdrawn from Lalgarh within two-three days, my party will take the decision on the next line of action to protest against joint forces’ operation,” he said.

“The joint forces have completed their job in Lalgarh but they are still stationed over there and the CPI-M is using them to set up its own armed camps in the area,” Banerjee said.

The Trinamool Congress has been accused by the state’s ruling Left Front of being hand in glove with the Maoist.

The Left Front earlier claimed that the Trinamool’s repeated demand to pull out joint forces from that area was a trick to facilitate Maoist control in this area in West Midnapore district.

The three western districts of the state - Purulia, Bankura and West Midnapore - are Maoist-dominated.