The Hindu : Andhra Pradesh News : Naxals set terms for next round of talks

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Wednesday, Oct 20, 2004

Andhra Pradesh

Andhra Pradesh

Naxals set terms for next round of talks

By Our Special Correspondent

HYDERABAD, OCT.19. A day after agreeing to carry forward the peace process, naxalite leaders said today that the success of the negotiations would depend squarely on the State Government's sincerity in meeting their demands, particularly the central issue of land distribution.

They said four demands raised during the talks — withdrawal of cases against persons involved in struggles, release of political prisoners, scrapping of rewards on the heads of wanted naxals and disbanding of armed gangs — could be conceded immediately. They admitted that the Government might require five to six months for the other major demands to be met.

At a press conference here, the CPI (Maoist) secretary, Ramakrishna, and the Janashakti secretary, Amar, demanded that the proposed body to identify surplus land should not have judges and bureaucrats. It should be filled with `democrats and mass organisations' in consultation with them.

Alipiri case

They clarified that they had never asked the Government to withdraw the Alipiri case in which an attempt was made on the life of the former Chief Minister, N. Chandrababu Naidu, but were seeking the `withdrawal of the cases foisted on innocent persons irrespective of their political affiliations'.

Except rewards on their heads, the other demands raised by them related to the problems of people. They criticised the Government for not coming out with any solution or initiatives on the people's problems. "Even then we want to wait and see for the next two months. It is for the people to scrutinise the sincerity of the Government in taking steps in the direction of solving the problems".

Their participation in the second round would depend on the Government's initiative in the next two months and had in fact suggested November 17 as the next round of talks.

Remarks condemned

Condemning the remarks of the Chief Minister, Y.S. Rajasekhara Reddy, that the naxalite leaders were talking irrationally, they accused him of talking irresponsibly. How could it be dubbed irrational when they questioned about amassing of properties? On the Chief Minister's defence of borrowing loans from the World Bank, Mr. Ramakrishna recalled that Dr. Reddy himself had opposed it before elections.

Veerappan link

He dismissed as baseless the reported remark of the Tamil Nadu Chief Minister, J. Jayalalithaa, that the forest brigand, Veerappan, had links with naxalites.

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