Maoists are killing tribals, farmers: Karat

Communist Party of India - Marxist general secretary Prakash Karat on Tuesday lashed out at the Maoists, saying they have degenerated into anarchic violence in the guise of fighting for the cause of the oppressed classes.

"They wear the red flag and attack the red flag (CPI-M). They are killing tribals, farmers, workers and their families in the name of fighting for the cause of the tribals and the oppressed," Karat said at a public meeting, marking the culmination of the party's four-day extended central committee meeting in Vijayawada.

He alleged that Maoists were being used as a weapon to target the CPI-M and kill its workers in West Bengal.

"But we will expose the heinous face of the Maoists. They will be isolated and rejected by the people in West Bengal," he claimed.

"The party would go to the people for a week from September 12 to tell them what was happening in West Bengal, 'our strongest base' in the country. This is not to defend our government there. This is to defend the gains of the people through land reforms, various welfare programmes and decentralisation of power and the strong Panchayat Raj system built in West Bengal. It is also to defend the firm secular legacy of the state," he asserted.

Karat was equally vehement in his attack of the Congress in Kerala which, he said, was unable to fight the pro-people Left Democratic Front government.

"The Congress is trying to fight the LDF by mobilising all the caste and communal forces in Kerala. It is being supported by the Muslim League, the extremist Popular Front and sections of the Church. The Church has no business in politics. It is an unholy combination," he said.

Politburo member Sitaram Yechury said India was not shining but dying.

"Shining India is only of the rich class while for the poor it is a dying India. The country has 52 multi-billionaires whose combined assets are equal to one-fourth of the country's GDP," he said.

West Bengal Chief Minister Buddhadeb Bhattacharya, who spent four days in the city attending the ECC meeting, joined the huge rally organised by the party ahead of the public meeting before leaving for the airport.

He flew to Hyderabad and skipped the public meeting. Tripura Chief Minister Manik Sarkar, several politburo and central committee members attended the meeting.