The Hindu : Andhra Pradesh News : BJP, CPI differ on arms issue

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Sunday, Sep 05, 2004

Andhra Pradesh

Andhra Pradesh

BJP, CPI differ on arms issue

By Our Staff Reporter

HYDERABAD, SEPT. 4. Conflicting views were expressed with regard to the Government stand that naxalites shed weapons in the ongoing peace process at a seminar organised by the Potti Sriramulu Institute for Social Reawakening here on Saturday.

State monopoly

The BJP leader, Parakala Prabhakar, was firm that clause seven in the agreement between the Government and the naxalites, governing the arms issue, should be retained. He said the State should enjoy monopoly over arms or any other means of force. Anyone who wished to use them could do so with the licence issued by the Government.

Mr. Prabhakar said issues such as land and unemployment should not be allowed to become the basis for talks. Naxalites should not raise them, as it was the Government's duty to address them. He wanted a common agenda for talks and the right measure to evaluate their success.

The Human Rights Forum activist, Kodandarama Reddy, said the stalemate in talks should not be allowed to continue merely on account of clause seven. It could be reworded instead. He maintained that there had been peace in villages since the implementation of ceasefire.

Safety of naxals

T. Maharadhi, writer, said if it was not for the armed struggle of naxalites, the Government would not have invited them for talks. The naxalites should hold on to arms, as there was no guarantee that the police would spare them if they shed them.

He said talks were initiated by the Government only to "appease'' the general public. It had `refused to see the ground reality' in villages all these years.

The CPI State executive member, V. Ramanarasimha Rao, said his party did not want naxalites to give up arms but exposing them in public could give strength to factionists and anti-social elements.

The trustee of the institute, K. B. Tilak, wanted decentralisation of power, which in effect meant arming the grassroots-level struggles. He said weapons should not become the focus of talks.

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