PEDDAPALLI: The CPI (Maoist) has called for a two day Bharat bandh on December 4 and 5 to protest the killing of its politburo member Mallojula Koteswar Rao alias Kishenji. The Central Committee of the party urged that all shops, businesses, and rail and road services should be shut during the two days. It also called for observing a ‘protest week’ commencing from November 29.
In a statement read out by revolutionary writer P Varavara Rao before the cremation of Kishenji in Peddapalli on Sunday, the central committee said it paid rich tributes to their departed leader and alleged that he was killed in cold blood. The party blamed Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, Congress president Sonia Gandhi, home minister P Chidambaram and West Bengal chief minister Mamata Banerjee for the killing.
The statement released in the name of Central Committee spokesman Abhay accused the the Mamata Banerjee government of talking of peace while conspiring with the central government to kill Kishenji. They admitted that Kishenji’s death was a big blow, but they would continue their struggle.
Reacting on similar lines, Varavara Rao accused the state government of creating unnecessary hurdles for the funeral of the slain Maoist leader. Protesting the huge deployment of police forces, he questioned as to what was the need for deploying nearly 300 policemen for a funeral. "Many people wanted to have a last glimpse of Kishenji but the police created hurdles at every stage. Still, there are hundreds of visitors," he said. He demanded that the government should stop Operation Green Hunt and termed the encounter as political murder.
Revolutionary singer and Telangana Praja Front chairman Balladeer Gadar rendered songs praising the top Maoist leader. "Kishenji was in the forefront of both the revolunary movement and also the separate Telangana movement in 1969. He is a proud son of this land and people will never forget his ideology," he said. Andhra Pradesh Civil Liberties Committee (APCL) leader Kalyan Rao blamed the prime minister, union home minister and West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee for the encounter. Though Peddapalli MP G Vivek visited the family members of Kishenji and paid tributes to the Maoist leader, he refused to speak to the media citing a throat problem.(ENS)
