JOIN USHowever, while “deeply” appreciating the chief minister's gesture, Maoist leaders Bikash and Bikram were wary of her silence over the withdrawal of combined forces from the rebel heartland, a news release of the banned outfit CPI(Maoists) here said on Saturday.
Within a week of her assuming power, Banerjee chaired a state cabinet meeting where it was decided to remove all legal hurdles to arrange for the return of 400 acres of land to Singur farmers, who have so far declined to accept the compensation cheques.
What has further sent a positive vibe to the people was the impromptu reaction of senior CPM leader and former state Revenue Minister Abdur Rezzak Mollah who said he was ready to help the chief minister, if she “desired his assistance,” in this matter. Even as Mollah earned a bitter experience from state CPM mandarins here for his “unsolicited outburst” and had to submit an apology, the rebel leaders have felt that it is time to hail Banerjee's Singur initiative.
"Soon after swearing- in, she expressed her readiness to sort out the problems at Jangal Mahal; but she did not lay out any plan. We may consider joining talks with the state government if she creates a favourable situation,” the news release from the rebels said.Ironically, it was Mamata's espousal of the farmers' cause that brought her close to the rebels during the land agitations at Nandigram and Singur.
The rebels' announcement came close on the heels of a successful meeting between a top level delegation of Gorkha Janamukti Morcha(GJM) of Darjeeling and Mamata Banerjee at the state secretariat here.