The Hindu : Andhra Pradesh News : 'I am ready to go to forest for talks'

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Wednesday, Sep 01, 2004

Andhra Pradesh

Andhra Pradesh

'I am ready to go to forest for talks'

By Our Staff Reporter

HYDERABAD, AUG. 31. In the face of a stiff resistance from the People's War (PW), Janashakti and other naxalite groups to shedding of arms during the ongoing peace process, the State Government has offered to explore ways to go ahead with talks even if the groups stick to their guns, literally.

The Home Minister, K. Jana Reddy, said today that the Government would find a way out to end the stalemate in talks. He even offered to go unarmed and without police escort to any location in the forest to put forth the Government's argument on weapons before the PW leadership.

Mr. Reddy was speaking at a workshop to discuss the stalemate in talks, organised by the People's Union for Civil Liberties.

The Government was looking forward to talking "bigger things" with the naxal groups to eliminate unemployment and problems relating to land, water distribution and environment.

Land for poor

The Government was exploring the possibility of bringing down the ceiling on land so that the surplus holdings could be distributed to the poor. These were issues that both the naxalites, in their long-drawn struggle, and the Government had not been able to solve, resulting in violence and counter-violence. Mr. Reddy said the Government did not question the armed struggle of the naxalites nor did it ask them to give up arms. It wanted extremists not to campaign in villages with weapons during the limited period of talks as it would give a fillip to anti-social elements.

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