A dialogue between the West Bengal government and the Maoists could take place very soon, with the Maoists agreeing to maintain ceasefire on the condition that the government suspends anti-Maoist operations in the three Jangalmahal districts, according to interlocutors appointed by the State government to explore the possibility of initiating talks with the left-wing extremists.
Claiming that they are “genuinely looking forward to restoring peace in the region,” the Maoists have further demanded that the State government disarm activists of all political parties in the three districts, ahead of the talks.
A six-member-team of interlocutors met Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee at the Secretariat on Saturday to convey the demands by the Maoists to the State government.
Since taking charge as the Chief Minister, Ms. Banerjee has repeatedly appealed to the Maoists to return to the mainstream, by shunning violence and working with the State government to restore peace and bring about development in the three south-western districts of Paschim Medinipur, Bankura and Purulia.
“The armed opposition [Maoists] claimed that they have been already maintaining ceasefire and assured to continue with it and initiate dialogue with the government if the latter suspends all forms of security operations in the region. The State government also, meanwhile, claimed that anti-Maoist operations are currently on hold, and confirmed holding talks with all the main stakeholders very soon,” Sujato Bhadra, human rights activist and one of the interlocutors, said.
Mr. Bhadra referred to the Maoists as ‘armed opposition' in keeping with the parlance of civil rights activists.
He added that the Maoists admitted that security operations had come down to a large extent in the region in the past three months.
Stating that the State government had not set any timeframe for talks, Mr. Bhadra said the process required both time and patience since it was “not a cent per cent ideal situation yet,” but expressed the hope that it would happen “as early as possible and in a phased manner.”
Mr. Bhadra alleged that certain forces were attempting to derail the peace process initiated by the State government, adding that several incidents in the recent past left both the government and the interlocutors worried.
