The Hindu : Andhra Pradesh News : Naxals put Telangana issue on the agenda

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Wednesday, Oct 06, 2004

Andhra Pradesh

Andhra Pradesh

Naxals put Telangana issue on the agenda

By Our Special Correspondent

People's War and Janashakti emissaries handing over an agenda copy to the Home Minister, K. Jana Reddy, in Hyderabad on Tuesday. - Photo: Mohd. Yousuf

HYDERABAD, OCT. 5. Naxalites on Tuesday added a new dimension to the Telangana issue by mentioning this as a major item in the agenda prepared by them for the talks and submitted to the Home Minister, K. Jana Reddy.

Balancing act

They demanded separate Telangana citing its backwardness and said they would fight for whoever is oppressed and backward. In a balancing act, the agenda lists the development of the North Coastal Andhra also as yet another point for the talks.

The ultras scored a major point in the exercise undertaken for preparing the ground for the talks when the Home Minister gave in-principle clearance to the 11-point agenda and a separate 10-point approach strategy proposed by them through their emissaries.

Mr. Reddy gave the nod after suggesting two changes at a marathon meeting with the five emissaries and the mediators. The Government representatives, including two Ministers -- D. S. Redya Naik, and K. Ranga Rao -- attended.

Safe passage

The Home Minister told reporters later that the security and safe passage of the top leaders coming for the talks "will be the responsibility of the Government.'' The naxalites wanted Warangal, Visakhapatnam and Anantapur as venues for subsequent rounds of talks but the Minister did not respond.

The emissaries -- P. Varavara Rao, Gadar and G. Kalyan Rao -- who also held a briefing, said Ramakrishna (RK), Sudhakar and Ganesh of the PW and Amar and Riaz of Janashakti (JS) who would come for talks, would be in Hyderabad during the entire period of talks.

They said the JS was organising a public meeting at Pagideru in Khammam district on October 13 on the lines of the one planned by the PW at Guttikonda.

The leaders from both places would proceed to the city after the meetings.

Crucial stage

The Home Minister said the exercise for direct talks had now reached the " semi-final stage.'' Summing up the reaction by the PW and the JS, Mr. Varavara Rao said the response from the Government was "positive.''

Seven of the eight mediators, S. R. Sankaran, Potturi Venkateswara Rao, Bojja Tharakam, K. G. Kannabiran, Keshav Rao Jadhav, A. B. K. Prasad, and G. Haragopal participated.

The other Government representatives present were T. Purushottama Rao, Paladugu Venkat Rao, K. Karunakara Reddy and K. Keshav Rao.

Printer friendly page
Send this article to Friends by E-Mail

Andhra Pradesh