“We requested the governor to talk to the chief minister and the tribal leaders. He has promised to do his best to restore normalcy in the area,” said Bhuniya.

The Congress also claimed that the tribal agitation is not controlled by Maoists. “We know some Maoists are involved with the tribal protest. But this is a movement of the local tribals and not of Maoists,” said Bhuniya.

“The state government is trying to label it as a Maoist movement but no political party is involved in it,” he added.

The Congress leader further said: “The police and the state administration have failed to handle the situation in Lalgarh. Tribals were subjected to atrocities in the area.”

The CPM, meanwhile, said the police action in Lalgarh after the Salboni blast was not directed against the tribals.