Click to play videoNew Delhi/ Ranchi: Jharkhand Chief Minister Shibu Soren has established contact with Koteshwar Rao alias Kishenji, a politburo member of the proscribed Communist Party of India-Maoist (CPI-Maoist).
Highly placed government sources tell CNN-IBN Soren's messenger met Kishenji in a hideout of the Maoists in Jharkhand, and intelligence agencies in New Delhi are aware of the meeting.
Soren took oath of office as Jharkhand’s Chief Minister on December 30 and it is believed the meeting between his messenger and Kishenji took place soon after that. The Jharkhand government didn’t inform the Central government about the meeting, CNN-IBN learns.
Soren's reason for contacting Kishenji is unclear, but Maoists have helped his Jharkhand Mukti Morcha (JMM) party win at least six of 18 Assembly seats in the recent elections.
Soren could have contacted Kishenji for starting negotiations with Maoists, but it could also be the continuation of an alleged political understanding seen between the Maoists and JMM in the Assembly elections.
"If they (security forces) begin their operations, I promise you 2010 will get bloodier. There will be no respite from violence," said Kishenji.
Around 770 civilians and security personnel were killed in Maoist violence till November 15 this year, the largest number of casualties in four years. In Jharkhand alone--one of the worst affected states--there have been 1,885 incidents of violence since 2006.
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