PC's statement is peoples' victory, claims Maoists

PC’s statement is peoples’ victory, claims Maoists
Snigdhendu Bhattacharyasnigdhendub@gmail.com
Kolkata: The war of words between the government and the rebel groupCommunist Party of India (Maoist) continues, as the rebel group,commenting on union home minister P Chidambaram’s Friday statementthat the “Operation Green Hunt” was actually an invention of the media.
“The way Chidambaram took an U-turn on Friday by saying that thecentral government never declared any war against the Maoists and thatthe Operation Green Hunt was only a media invention, it is clear thatthey have retreated,” CPI (Maoist) Politburo member Koteswar Rao aliasKishanji told HT on Saturday over telephone from his hideout inLalgarh.
The Maoist leader said that Chidambaram’s latest statement wasfollowing the understanding that the government would lose thisbattle. He added, “We declare it as a victory of the people of India.”Earlier, the Maoist leader had vowed to give the joint force “afitting reply” when the combined force of the state government ofChhattisgarh and the central paramilitary forced launch the proposedoffensive in the Maoist-dominated areas.
The anti-Maoist operation wassupposed to start from Chhattisgarh, the strongest bastion of theMaoists. According to the Maoist leader, the government had to “retreat” underpressure from all quarters of the people of the country, including theintellectuals.
“Everybody warned the government against this plannedoffensive, which would have claimed many innocent lives,” the leaderof the banned outfit commented.“It’s better that the government addresses the actual problems thepeople are facing like price-hike and lack of employment scopes thatengaging in war of words,’ the Maoist leader advised.