By IANS,
Kolkata: Railways Minister Mamata Banerjee Saturday urged the people of West Bengal’s western districts to turn against the Maoists to stop the “bloodbath” in the region.
“The tribal population of this forest-infested region must get their own rights. Overall development and creation of job opportunities are the only answers to their problems. No weapon can solve their issues. The bloodshed in this region has to come to an end,” Banerjee said.
The minister was speaking at the flagging-off ceremony of the Midnapore-Jhargram Jangalmahal Express, Jhargram-Puruliya Birsa express and the Rourkela-Bhubaneswar Intercity express at the Midnapur station.
“If the Maoists are committing crimes on one hand, the Communist Party of India-Marxist (CPI-M) is also handing out weapons to its cadre to fight out the red rebels and many villagers. As a result, innocent people are being slaughtered everyday,” she said.
Banerjee said that the people were not getting hundred days of work in the Maoist-affected areas since the panchayat offices were closed, and schools and colleges were also shut down affecting developmental works in the area.
“They (Maoists) are trying to suppress hunger with firearms and ammunitions. But these guns will soon fall silent. People want development and will not accept terror anymore,” the Railways Minister added.
She also noted that the railways had become a soft target for the Maoists in the recent past.