The Hindu : Andhra Pradesh News : People's War, Janashakti reject Government stand on arms

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Saturday, Aug 28, 2004

Andhra Pradesh

Andhra Pradesh

People's War, Janashakti reject Government stand on arms

By N. Rahul

RUDRARAM (Medak dist.), Aug. 27. The People's War and Janashakti have rejected the Government stand against naxalites carrying weapons in the villages during the period of negotiations. They demanded that the Government keep its pre-poll promise to have talks with naxalites `unconditionally.'

`Lift condition'

They also asked the Government to drop Clause VII in the agreement for ceasefire, which the PW entered into on July 21 and which stipulated that it could campaign in the villages without `weapons.' This condition should be lifted to remove obstacles for the talks, the PW emissaries, Varavara Rao and G. Kalyan Rao, and Janashakti representatives, Chandranna and Chellapalli Srinivas Rao, told a public meeting organised to mark the first death anniversary of the Janashakti Central Committee member, Degala Subash, here on Friday. He hailed from this interior village, 28 km from Siddipet town, and was killed in an encounter near the Ghanpur irrigation project in the district.

Formal PW response

Significantly, the emissaries' insistence that the Clause VII be dropped could be considered as the combined formal response of the PW, Janashakti and other naxalite groups to the Government letter to them that there should no compromise on the issue of weapons, as it would promote the interest of anti-social elements.

Articulating the PW and Janashakti stance, Mr. Kalyan Rao said the clause was introduced by the Government at the behest of the police, which was interested in scuttling the talks. He asked if the Clause I, which said that the guns were silent from both sides, was not enough to create a conducive atmosphere.

He criticised the Government for bringing weapons to the centrestage of talks. But `weapons' were the very basis of the naxalite ideology. He said the PW expressed its dissent to Clause VII when it signed the ceasefire agreement on July 21. Later, the PW and Janashakti submitted a combined letter to the Government seeking withdrawal of the clause.

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