Rural development minister Jairam Ramesh was all praise for West Bengal chief minister Mamata Banerjee on Thursday for showing ‘political courage’ in transforming Jungle Mahal, a former Naxal hotbed.
Ramesh also said no one should take away the credit due to the Trinamool Congress supremo, saying her approach to tackle the Naxal problem in the eastern state was ‘right’.
The praise by Ramesh came days after he took a jibe at the TMC supremo for her ‘brain-dead’ comment on the UPA government, prompting the feisty leader to hit back at him for using ‘vindictive, unethical and unconstitutional’ language in an official letter addressed to her.
‘She may not be our ally now but I must say that she had transformed the scenario in Jungle Mahal.
She had shown the political courage required for the changes in the Naxal-affected areas,’ the Union minister said after meeting West Bengal rural development minister Subrato Mukherjee in New Delhi.
Jungle Mahal area, consisting of West Midnapore, Bankura and Purulia districts, was the worst Naxal-affected zone in West Bengal during CPI(M) rule.
‘The kind of political mobilisation that happened in Jungle Mahal during the last two years is worth mentioning and one should not take away the credit due to her’, he said and added Mamata’s ‘approach is the right approach (for tackling Naxal problem).
Mamata-led TMC had withdrawn support to UPA over the reforms measures, including FDI in retal, intiated by the Centre.
Ramesh also said no one should take away the credit due to the Trinamool Congress supremo, saying her approach to tackle the Naxal problem in the eastern state was ‘right’.
The praise by Ramesh came days after he took a jibe at the TMC supremo for her ‘brain-dead’ comment on the UPA government, prompting the feisty leader to hit back at him for using ‘vindictive, unethical and unconstitutional’ language in an official letter addressed to her.
‘She may not be our ally now but I must say that she had transformed the scenario in Jungle Mahal.
She had shown the political courage required for the changes in the Naxal-affected areas,’ the Union minister said after meeting West Bengal rural development minister Subrato Mukherjee in New Delhi.
Jungle Mahal area, consisting of West Midnapore, Bankura and Purulia districts, was the worst Naxal-affected zone in West Bengal during CPI(M) rule.
‘The kind of political mobilisation that happened in Jungle Mahal during the last two years is worth mentioning and one should not take away the credit due to her’, he said and added Mamata’s ‘approach is the right approach (for tackling Naxal problem).
Mamata-led TMC had withdrawn support to UPA over the reforms measures, including FDI in retal, intiated by the Centre.