Kolkata:
West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee is addressing a public rally in Jhargram. This is her second visit to the the Naxal-affected area after she became the Chief Minister and the first after the Maoist offer for truce.
On October 4, Maoists had laid out their preconditions for a ceasefire in Junglemahal in West Bengal.
In a press release, they said that if the government agrees "in letter and spirit" to stop joint force operations in Junglemahal, the Naxals will also cease the use of arms for a month.
Ahead of her colossal victory in the West Bengal elections in May this year, Ms Banerjee had promised that central and state government security forces would be withdrawn from the three districts which make up Junglemahal - West Midnapore, Bankura and Purulia. In July this year, she visited the region and promised development, while urging Naxals to abandon violence and fight for the country instead.
But lately, with the Maoists targeting her own party, Ms Banerjee has been indicating that her patience is running out. Last month, she claimed that Maoists were trying to kill her. It was denied by the insurgents in an open letter.