Naxalites admit presence in Nandigram

Admitting their presence in strife-torn Nandigram, members of the CPI (Maoist) today said the outfit had "stood by the people there as (it is) a communist duty".

Stating that Nandigram symbolised the struggle against forcible land acquisition for multinational companies (MNCs) and big corporate houses, and against special economic zones (SEZs), the CPI (Maoist) said in a statement here: "We stand by the people whose life is at stake. We stood by the people of Nandigram as a communist duty."

Stating that CPI-Marxists wanted to "terrorise" the people in Nandigram to accept SEZ and accept land acquisition for the MNCs, it said: "Nandigram is still alive and will rise very soon as a glowing sun."

It said all, except "power happy local CPI(M) leaders", had joined the Bhumi Ucched Pratirodh Committee to resist the ruling CPI(M)'s move for land acquisition there.

The CPI(M), after the recapture of Nandigram, would forcibly "extract consent" for the chemical hub, it claimed.

The outfit said it had no intention to harm or kill people for the sake of violence. "We have been leading a people's war for a new exploitation-free society. We make a clear difference between revolutionary and reactionary violence."