After releasing Bengal policeman, Atindranath Dutta, on Thursday evening, Maoist leader Kishanji spoke to NDTV's Monideepa Banerjee and said, among other things, that Naxal leaders would discuss whether the killing of Jharkhand policeman Francis Induwar was correct or an excess.
Q: Why did you kidnap him (Bengal cop Dutta) and why did you decide to release him?
A: Actually it is not a kidnapping. You are defining it as a kidnapping. It is wrong. In any guerrilla attack we first ask the enemy forces to surrender. Those who do not surrender will be killed. You please listen to me. After any attack, all forces pick up everyone. This is an arrest. It is not a kidnap. And the other question is why we decided to release him. We decided to release him because on him there are no serious charges from the people's side. In such a case it is our policy to release them. They may be armoured, it may be a police officer or a paramilitary commando but in such a case we will release prisoners. Before releasing we will categorise them as POWs - because the central government declared a war against its own people. Chidambaram may not see it as a war ... Maoists accepted it as a challenge from the central and state government as a war. So we decided he is a POW and we decided to release him before media persons
Q: Chidambaram has also said you are not terrorists and that he is willing to talk if you give up arms?
A: I do not believe in the Prime Minister's word or Chidambaram's word.
Q: So in what situation will you sit for talks?
A: The first and foremost condition is that they must withdraw all forces from our area.
Q: Is this a condition for Lalgarh area only or entire area?
A: This is for entire India. Because they declared war and started Operation Greenhunt in entire India. Not in Lalgarh only. There are two-and-a-half lakh forces in our area. More than 2000 ordinary people and five or six hundred of our comrades are behind bars in Bengal, Chhattisgarh and other states. Without their release there is no scope for talks. Their (government's) condition is that Maoists should surrender their arms. Surrendering arms is out of the agenda. We never accepted it as a part of our agenda. So we are not ready for peace talks with the government. In the name of peace talks they declared war.
Q: What are your future plans?
A: First we have to consult on the gains of the Lalgarh movement. Second, we have to arm the people to raise the people's voices. Third, we have to build up revolutionary people's committees in entire Lalgarh and other areas.
We want to expand our areas not only in Bengal but also in Orissa, Chhattisgarh and Jharkhand. The important thing is we are ready to improve the political consciousness of the people. Then only we will advance in our movement.
Q) You have been described as the biggest internal security threat...what is your timeframe for the achievement of your objectives?
A: There is no timeframe because our war is a protracted war. Secondly, for internal security... Maoists have never posed any danger. It is a theory of the state, it is a theory of World Bank and American imperialism and the puppets of World Bank and IMF like the PM and Mr Chidambaram. Our friend Pranab the finance minister is a puppet of the World Bank and is implementing World Bank programmes. So for our internal and external threat US imperialism is our first and foremost enemy and second is the Congress and the UPA led by the Congress.
Q: Do you think killing Francis Induwar was an excess on the part of the Maoists?
A: Whether it was an excess or correct we will review in our party forum. It has not yet come to my party forum. Till now it has not been discussed by my party committee or at any level. Till now my party has not accepted or reviewed that particular incident. So if the party decides on any such acceptance or regret I will let you know.