Kolkata, Nov 1 Trinamool Congress chief Mamata Banerjee on Sunday retorted to various allegations by West Bengal Chief Minister Buddhadeb Bhattacherjee and accused him of having links with the Maoists. ddressing a press conference in Kolkata, Mamata said: "I think that the Marxists and the Maoists are both sides of the same coin. They are working together. If Maoists are to be banned, why not the CPM which is also carrying out armed operations in the state."

Mamata also accused Buddhadeb of not helping the family of two police officers, who were kidnapped by Maoists in West Midnapore district on July 30.

"The Union Home Minister had said that the Centre will help in the search of the two policemen, I want to know why the State Government was not looking for them even after the assurance. Does not the Chief Minister have the responsibility to look for them?" Mamata said.

Earlier, Bhattacharjee had alleged that Mamata was trying to shield the Maoists involved in the detention of the Bhubaneswar-New Delhi Rajdhani Express by not naming them in the report filed by the railway authorities.

"Though a Union Minister, she did not mention the name of the Maoist-backed Police Santrash Birodhi Janasadharaner Committee (PSBJC) as being responsible for the incident, even when the Central Reserve Police Force named the outfit in the first information report filed by it," Bhattacharjee said.

He had also alleged that the nexus between the Maoists and the Trinamool was present in West Bengal and said that there was now no doubt that the Trinamool was supporting them in the State. (ANI)