Dinesh Sharma
Kolkata: West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee might have extended the olive branch to Maoists and invited them for talks, but reports have it that Maoists are regrouping in West Bengal.
As per reports, Maoists are reorganizing in many parts of Bengal due to the halt of operations that the government has adopted owing to peace talks.
Despite the fact that West Bengal has 36 companies of CRPF, 18 companies of Cobra and 6 of that of Naga, Interlocutors believe that Mamata would first have to create a congenial atmosphere for dialogue.
"If Mamata is serious about talks, she will have to create a congenial atmosphere and instill confidence among Maoists so that they can come forward to talk," Maoist sympathiser and poet Varvara Rao told reporters.
He said that to create confidence among Maoists, the state government would first have to withdraw the joint forces engaged in anti-Maoist operations in Junglemahal, lift the Unlawful Activities (Prevent) Act, and release all political political prisoners from jail.
"The government should release Maoist Central Committee members like Sushil Roy and Patipaban Halder--a demand which has repeatedly been made by Kishenji (Mallojula Koteswara Rao) and Azad, who was treacherously killed," he said.
Citing the example of Andhra Pradesh which in 2004 withdrew the elite Grey Hound forces before inviting Maoists for talks, Rao said, "If the West Bengal government is keen to solve the Maoist problem, it will have to take some positive steps."
Dandapani Mohanti, the interlocutor who played a crucial role in facilitating the release of Orissa`s Malkangiri District Collector from the clutches of Maoists, said, "The Orissa government promised to release 47 prisoners, but what about 2000 prisoners in jail without trial.
With PTI inputs
