While talks with the ULFA in Assam seem to be hobbling along, West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee has already ‘green-lighted’ the peace initiative with Maoists in Jangalmahal. The state government had set up an empowered group for handling the preparations for peace talks. It has succeeded in prevailing on the rebel outfit to engage in a dialogue with it. The group, however, described the Maoists as an armed opposition organisation and the major stakeholder in the troubled zone. Mamata Banerjee has given the empowered group the green signal. The empowered group considers Maoist demands legitimate and conveyed them to the Chief Minister.
Government sources said that the Chief Minister had agreed to consider the release of some top leaders of the CPI (Maoist) and of the People’s Committee against Police Atrocities. The Maoists demand their release to discuss the talks with them before interacting with the government. Mamata Banerjee has taken a realistic stand. The release of the top leaders will depend on Maoist activities in the near future. Banerjee is apprehensive about their moves. She has however agreed to expedite the release of 52 political prisoners including two Maoists. Mamata Banerjee is against freeing PCPA leader Chhatradhar Mahato and some others involved in the attack on the Shilda camp of the Eastern Frontier Police and the Jnaneswari Express sabotage last year. The Chief Minister is also against accepting the Maoist demand for withdrawal of the joint forces but the central forces will be kept under restraint. There will be no major offensive during the talks if Maoists and the PCPA played ball. She attached little importance to the protest against her in Jangalmahal though it may have hardened her stance. Just as well as the empowered committee led by a human rights activist took a far from impartial line. The major stakeholder should be the oppressed local population who should be issued BPL cards and provided with free electricity. Opposition leader Surya Kanta Mishra has rightly sounded a note of caution and asked for the Centre’s proactive role.