“Despite utterances by leaders against terrorisation by the CPM at the rally,

Mamata and her party hijacked it for petty political gain to pave the way for her and her party to wean away the people from Maoists and the PCAPA and was much less a peace initiative,” Kishenji said in an open letter dated August 28.

Kishneji said none of the speakers at the rally, for peace, raised the “diabolical murder” of PCAPA president Lalmohan Tudu by the joint forces on February 22 at Kantapahari in West Midnapore district.

The letter also accused social activist Swami Agnivesh, who was mediating between the ultras and the Centre when Maoist chief spokesman Cherukuri Rajkumar alias Azad who was gunned down on July 2 in an encounter in Adilabad district of Andhra Pradesh, as “toeing Union Home Minister P Chidamabaram’s line”.

Asking Agnivesh, who had been present at the Lalgarh rally, to inquire into “murders in the name of encounter” of central committee members Patel Sudhakar Reddy, Shakamunri Appa Rao besides Azad, the letter, a copy of which was with the PTI, said he should work for the establishment of an independent committee to investigate the killings and also the “atrocities” by the joint forces and CPI(M) goons.

Kishenji also accused Agnivesh, to whom the letter was addressed, of not speaking up against the “atrocities by the joint forces and CPI(M) cadre armed with AK-47s, INSAS rifles and SLRs, in Jungle Mahal”.

He alleged that 2000 armed CPI(M) cadres were equipped by the West Bengal government and were operating with joint forces as its eyes and ears and that 86 camps had been set up by them in West Midnapore, Bankura and Purulia districts.

“There are at least 24 primary and junior schools, eight panchayat and party offices in the three districts which are occupied by CPM goons,” Kishenji said.

Defending killings by Maoists, the shadowy leader said, “We are engaged in a defensive war while the war against us by the state is an offensive one. There is no other way for us to defend ourselves than resist the armed might of the state and reactionary forces.