New Delhi: The Communist Party of India-Marxist (CPI-M) Thursday alleged that the Trinamool Congress was playing "footsie" with the Maoists, citing how party chief and Railway Minister Mamata Banerjee did not name the left-wing rebels for the attack on the East Frontier Rifles (EFR) camp in West Bengal.

A total of 25 people, including 24 security personnel, were killed and several injured in the attack on the camp in Silda in West Midnapur district.

"Trinamul (Trinamool) Congress continues to play footsie with the Maoists as clearly demonstrated by its chief unwilling to name the Maoists as being responsible for this attack," said the CPI-M in an editorial in the latest issue of the party mouthpiece, the People's Democracy.

"This despite the fact that the Maoist leaders themselves have publicly acknowledged in the media that they are responsible for this attack and this was their answer to the joint operations to be launched by the centre and various state governments.

"That the Maoists reciprocate the Trinamul Congress's softness became clear when their spokesman informed sections of the media that the Maoists 'will not attack or target the Trinamul Congress'," the editorial said.

"Two days before this attack on the EFR camp, the Maoist leader of West Midnapur announced, 'We have decided that there will be no action or punishment of any kind against Trinamul functionaries'. A few days earlier, Maoist leader Kishenji had extended support to the Trinamul and welcomed its leader's move to demand the withdrawal of security forces from West Midnapur.

"By now it is well-known that the Trinamul Congress has openly called for a halt of all operations by security forces against the Maoists so that the latter can continue to terrorise the people through their violence and browbeat them into opposing the Left Front in the forthcoming elections to the state assembly in 2011," the editorial claimed.

The CPI-M also asked the Congress and the United Progressive Alliance (UPA) government to "take a call on explaining to the people how a union cabinet minister can act in defiance of the prime minister's public utterances that the Maoist violence constitutes the gravest threat to India's internal securit

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