Chief minister Mamata Banerjee’s strategy of inducting Chhatradhar Mahato — the face of the Lalgarh movement — into her party seems to be yielding results, amid reports that the NIA is planning to nab him for two murder cases.

But with Mahato’s entry, Trinamul managed to organise 12 large meetings in the Jungle Mahal in less than a month and got over 3,000 BJP supporters to switch sides.

Mahato, who has some 39 cases pending against him including involvement in Maoist activities under the UAPA and murder of a CPM leader in 2009, was arrested in 2009.

Out on bail on February 2, within five months he got charge of strengthening Trinamul’s base in the Jungle Mahal where in 2019 Lok Sabha polls, the saffron party won all four seats, including Jhargram, Mahato’s home district.

“My first vision was to bring those back to Trinamul who joined the BJP...I got at least 3,000 BJP workers and leaders, who were my aides earlier, to join Trinamul,” Mahato told this reporter.

But Trinamul leaders fear that the BJP would use the NIA against Mahato as he is helping TMC’s revival. The BJP dismissed this but said it condemned the Trinamul for using a “convicted man” to regain political clout.

Recently, the NIA got a nod from Calcutta High Court to interrogate Mahato in connection with the murder of Prabhu Mahato, a CPM leader who was killed in 2009.

“The NIA sleuths are moving around the area... We think it is part of saffron strategy to use the agency against Mahato as the Trinamul is reviving in the area," said a Trinamul leader.

Mahato himself admitted that the NIA is trying to ‘harass’ him to divert from ongoing political activities.

“NIA is trying to harass me. They already summoned me to face the interrogation in calcutta. I skipped it because of the pandemic but not sure about their further plan. However, it would be good for Trinamul and me if the NIA arrests me," said Mahato.

BJP’s Jhargram president Sukhamoy Satpati however said, “Chhatradhar has no impact on BJP's organisation at all at least in Jungle Mahal. But we condemn the Trinamu’s move of using a convicted person to regain political clout.”