West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee, on Wednesday visited junglemahal, the erstwhile hotbed of Maoists here in West Midnapore district,giving a message that violence would no longer be tolerated, as a hardcore ultra surrendered to her.
"We do not want guns for guns. I am the last person to tolerate violence and killing of innocent people. I will not surrender to guns," Banerjee told a huge rally here at which a hardcore Maoist, Robi Murmu, surrendered with a .315 rifle, a 9 mm pistol and 22 rounds of ammunition.
Stating that peace had returned to junglemahal after the Trinamool Congress came to power, Banerjee noted that some ultras from Jharkhand and Odisha, were in hiding in a few pockets at Belpahari, Binpur and bordering areas of Jhargram in the district and urged them to surrender.
"We will give everything including jobs and fixed deposit certificates and other benefits to those who give up violence and return to the mainstream after surrendering arms," Banerjee, the first CM to visit Belpahari since the visit 40 years ago by S S Ray, said. She said that development could not be stopped through violence and coercion and asked the police and district administration to list those who would take up cudgels against Maoists, for enrolment in jobs in future while urging villagers not to be lured by the ultras. The chief minister announced jobs and a host of sops under welfare schemes and said 6400 jobs additional jobs would be provided in the police besides the 10,000 announced earlier.
"These additional jobs include 5,700 in the police and home-guards and 700 in the railways," she said.
