Did the “capture-recapture” drama over the Lalgargh area complete a full circle on Sunday when a mammoth rally of the Marxist party reached Lalgargh after one-and-a-half year the Maoists started dominating the tribals belt?
At least, the CPI(M) mandarins believed it to be so.
Describing it as “a red letter day” for the party, the CPI(M) leaders, including chief minister Buddhadeb Bhattacharjee, said that the “spontaneous rally in Lalgargh symbolises the beginning of the end of Maoists-Trinamul Congress domination” in the area.
Insiders revealed, the rally, which was being celebrated as “the victory march” of the Marxist party, has signalled a wind of change, although different in the Junglemahal belt which was earlier the Marxist bastion, later had been captured by the Maoists in 2009. The “comeback rally” of more than 10,000 strong CPI(M) party ranks, including tribal women led by CPI(M) zonal committee secretary of Lalgarh Anuj Pandey, marched 12 km from Dharampur and Goaltore to Lalgarh. The entire stretch in the Maoist-hit area had already been sanitised by the police and joint forces.
Some of the supporters carried traditional bows and arrows and raised slogans against the Maoists and the PCPA. The marchers went round the Lalgarh market and held a rally in front of the Lalgarh CPI(M) office, which was damaged by the Maoists a year-and-a-half ago.
The supporters on reaching Lalgarh reopened the CPI(M) party office which was once torched by the Maoists. Hoisting the Red flag, Mr Pandey said, “Some people in the name of politics wanted to create anarchy in the area, but we are peace loving people and we want peace.”