"If the Left Front government wants to have discussion with the people of Lalgarh, the operation by the police and security forces against them should end by this afternoon," Rao, a politburo member of the CPI(Maoist), told a TV channel.
"Chief Minister Buddhadeb Bhattacharjee should come to Dalilpur Chak (a place near Lalgarh) and talk to the people. Many of the demands can be met through discussion," Rao, also known as Kishenji, said.
Referring to the ongoing joint operation by the state police and the para-military forces, he advised the Left Front government "not to dance to the tune of the Prime Minister or the Union Home Minister".
"If the CPI(M)-led government does not want any bloodshed, it should take a stand on its own," Kishenji said.
Though there was speculation that Kishenji had left for Jharkhand, he claimed that he was present in Lalgarh.
(Published 20 June 2009, 10:29 IST)
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