The seven-day ultimatum given to the Maoists by Banerjee to respond to her call ends on Friday. The Trinamool has, meanwhile, decided to go ahead with its planned programmes if the Maoists or its frontal organisation — People’s Committee Against Police Atrocities (PCAPA) — do not respond to the peace call.

On January 15, Banerjee had asked the Maoists to come to the negotiating table. At a mass rally in Maoist-dominated Jhargram in West Midnapore, she had appealed to the Maoists to sit for talks and place their demands. She had given a seven-day deadline to respond to her call, failing which she threatened to take the fight to the heart of the Maoist movement.

“I will hold rallies and march on foot in Lalgarh, Belpahari and Salboni,” the Trinamool chief had said.

Banerjee had entrusted Purnendu Bose with the onus of establishing contact with Maoists and start negotiations. Bose, the state president of the labour wing of the party, is a former Naxalite.

“We have not yet received any formal response from the Maoists or the PCAPA. We cannot rely on newspaper or television reports. We need to have direct response from them. We are waiting for an official response,” Bose said.

Trinamool sources, meanwhile, said that several back channels are being used to get the word to the Maoists and the PCAPA to come to the negotiating table. But, there has been no success so far.

“Banerjee made the announcement openly for everyone to hear. We are sure that there were several of their people at the rally who carried the word back to them. Now it is up to the Maoists to respond to the call,” Bose added.

On January 20, Dhanapati Mahato, the Jhargram block secretary of the PCAPA, had said that they are ready for talks only if Trinamool MP Kabir Suman is the negotiator. Suman, too, had agreed to negotiate only if the party designated him to do so.

The police are also keeping a close watch on the development. “It will be very dangerous if she decides to enter the interiors of Jangalmahal where the Maoists and tribals are very strong,” said an officer of the Lalgarh police station.

Meanwhile, Section 144 is in force throughout the Jhargram block and Banerjee is yet to get permission to hold rallies.