Kishenji calls for Chidambaram's resignation

Maoist leader Kishenji called a 48-hour bandh from September 13 in eight states to press for a probe into the death of top Naxal leader Cherakuri Rajkumar alias Azad.

"We demand the resignation of Union Home Minister P. Chidambaram, Union Home Secretary G K Pillai, Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister K Rosaiah and state Director General of Police Girish Kumar in connection with Azad's murder," the Maoist leader told PTI over phone.

"Azad's post mortem report quoted in a national weekly said he was shot from a distance of 7 cm. So, there is no doubt that it  was a cold blooded murdered by the Andhra Pradesh SIB," he said.

The bandh will be enforced in West Bengal, Bihar, Orissa, Jharkhand, Chattishgarh, Andhra Pradesh, in Gadchiroli, Bhandara and Chadrapur districts of Maharashtra and in Balaghat district of Madhya Pradesh.

Referring to Trinamool Congress chief Mamata Banerjee's statement at a rally in Maoist-affected Lalgarh that Azad was murdered, Kishenji said "Mamataji didn't change her statement and Union Finance Minister Pranab Mukherjee supported her. So, in a way the government is also accepting that Azad was murdered."

"So, if Azad is murdered, then how is Chidambaram still in the chair of the union Home Minister? This is unconstitutional and he should resign immediately," the CPI(Maoist) politburo leader said.

Demanding intervention of Prime Minister Manmohan Singh

in any dialogue between government and Maoists, Kishenji said "the Prime Minister should first make his stand clear - whether he wants talks with the Maoists or not."     

The Maoists, however, will not write any letter to the Centre directly for talks, a proposal made by the Prime Minister. "Azad wrote a letter to the Centre and the Centre along with Andhra Pradesh state government killed him in cold blood", Kishenji alleged.

"Still, we are ready to accept the Prime Minister's offer for talks if he orders a judicial inquiry by a three-member committee of retired judges," he said while ridiculing Chidambaram's condition of abjuring violence for 72 hours.

"We had given the proposal of a ceasefire for 72 days and then again for two months but that didn't have any effect on the government because the union home minister is not keen to have a dialogue," Kishenji added.