“I have never claimed to be a leader. The people love me and it is because of them and the committed party workers that we have won so many elections in the state,” she said at a rally organised at Bagha Jatin to protest against the violent clashes that took place during the recently held Borough elections.

Accusing the CPM of carrying out hundreds of “scientific killings” in the state in the last 34 years, Banerjee said there are still at least 12 families in Nandigram who have not yet received the bodies of their family members who had died during the clashes in November 2007. She further said there is no track of the scores of people who are dying everyday in Jungalmahal. “I call it scientific killing because the ruling party systematically removes all trace of these bodies,” she said.

Banerjee also said that the very fact that most of the places from where the CPM won are Maoist infested, is indicative of a deeper nexus.

“Even Union Home Minister P Chidambaram has said today that the CPM cadres are carrying guns and wreaking havoc in those areas, in the name of joint forces. It is an open secret now,” she said.

She further alleged that while farmers are committing suicide because of crop failure, the CPM is paying its cadres Rs 1 lakh for committing a murder.