Kolkata, July 7 (IANS) West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee Thursday offered to hold talks with the Maoists and promised that the joint forces operating in the rebel-hit areas would be withdrawn if all parties surrendered arms and peace was restored.
"If the region is de-weaponised and peace returns, then the joint forces will be withdrawn. For a peaceful resolution of the Junglemahal problem, the government is earnestly interested in holding talks," Banerjee told reporters.
Promising that her government would not act out of vengeance, and would initiate steps for removing the atmosphere of fear, Banerjee said all allegations of torture and atrocities perpetrated during the erstwhile Left Front regime on the people of Jungemahal -- Maoist affected forested stretches of West Midnapore, Purulia and Bankura districts -- would be probed.
She said the government would soon unveil a special package for economic and social development of the people of Junglemahal and announced that she would visit the areas in the next "one or two days".
Briefing reporters about the seven-point programme for Junglemahal agreed upon during a meeting between the government and members of the citizens' forum, Banerjee appealed to the forum members to also accompany her to the affected area.
She appealed to all parties across the state to surrender arms and said her government will take measures as per law to recover weapons. She promised a special economic package for the rebels who lay down arms.
"Those interested to surrender in Jungemahal will be given a special economic packaege and also arrangements for their social rehabilitation will be made," she said.
Urging everybody to be part of the development process, the chief minister called upon those "terrorising people to stop development work" to desist from such activities. "We will take the necessary steps for establishing the rule of law and carrying out development."
She asserted that those residing in the forest areas should have right over the forests, and said her government has taken steps in that direction.