West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee told the people of the Maoist-hit areas of Purulia district on Friday that “you shall get whatever you ask for, provided you don't support the Maoists.” “You shall have colleges, schools, hospitals, stadia, sports academies and even a medical college. Whatever you ask for, we shall provide it. But you must make only one promise — you will not support the Maoists,” she said, addressing...
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Jangalmahal: Receding Prospects of Dialogue
-Economic and Political Weekly Mamata Banerjee concurs with P Chidambaram’s counterinsurgency strategy. She revels in rhetoric – Mamata Banerjee’s word of honour was parivartan (change). A large section of the people of West Bengal desperately wanted change, so parivartan brought her to the helm at Writers’ Building, with its Corinthian facade carrying over from the heyday of the East India Company, now, of course, the office and secretariat of the chief minister...
More »Playgrounds for tribal youth planned by K Balchand
Gram panchayats to provide land and create the grounds The Ministry of Rural Development has decided to bring sports back into the lives of the tribal boys and girls in the 60 left-wing extremist-affected districts where the Integrated Action Plan (IAP) has been implemented. Union Minister of Rural Development Jairam Ramesh has cleared the proposal to construct one playground in each village, falling under the 60 IAP districts under the Mahatma Gandhi...
More »Security forces, Maoists exchange fire in Paschim Medinipur district by Ananya Dutta
Amid a deadline set by West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee to Maoists to disarm themselves and come for negotiations, there was an exchange of fire on Tuesday between security forces and left wing extremists at a village in the Bankisol-Aluberia area in Paschim Medinipur district. There were reports that Akash, secretary of the State committee of the Communist Party of India (Maoist), was among those who escaped. “We received a tip-off...
More »Interlocutors can continue talks with Maoists: Mamata by Marcus Dam
By asking the State-appointed interlocutors here on Tuesday to continue talks with the Maoists, to broker peace in the Jangalmahal region, West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee may have indicated some flexibility in regard to the seven-day deadline she had given the extremists three days ago to lay down their arms and sit for negotiations. “The dialogue process is on and will be continuing,” Sujato Bhadra, one of the key interlocutors,...
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