The Hindu : Andhra Pradesh News : Evolve consensus with naxals: ex-Minister

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Saturday, Nov 20, 2004

Andhra Pradesh

Andhra Pradesh

Evolve consensus with naxals: ex-Minister

By Our Staff Reporter

KARIMNAGAR, NOV. 19. The former Union Minister, Ch Vidyasagar Rao, has called upon the State Government to hold peace talks with CPI (Maoists) and other naxalite groups `wholeheartedly' and evolve a consensus which would be acceptable to all sections of society.

Addressing a press conference here on Friday, he said that the land distribution and the other socio-economic issues for the peace talks should be in `text and not in pretext'. Flaying the `contradictory' statements of both Home Minister and Chief Minister over the peace talks issue, he said that the law and order and the socio-economic development was the government responsibility and policy respectively.

"The responsibilities and policies of the Government should not cross the Lakshman Rekha,'' he said, adding that the peace talks should not disturb the democratic process. He said the peace talks should not be held for selfish gain to fulfil the election promise. He reiterated his appeal to the naxalites to join the mainstream of society.

`Promise not kept'

Mr Vidyasagar Rao said the State Government had failed to fulfil its election promises of supplying free power to farmers, stoppage of starvation deaths and peace talks with the naxalites.

Addressing a gathering after inaugurating a gym at Ramachandrapuram colony in Karimnagar town, he said that the Government was going back on its election promise of free power to the farmers on the pretext of illegal power connections. He found fault with the State Cabinet for not discussing drought conditions and the starvation deaths of farmers and weavers.

He alleged that the Government had failed to stop the starvation deaths. He said the Government's attitude in dealing with the naxalite problem was exposed with people approaching naxalites leaders instead of politicians for redress of their grievances.

Referring to the implementation of Food-for-Work scheme, he said the NDA government had sanctioned about Rs 54.4 lakh tonnes of rice to Andhra Pradesh, while the Congress had released only one lakh metric tonnes of rice even when the drought situation was alarming.

Tenders

About the controversy over the allocation of tenders to contractors, he said that the Government was hurriedly allocating huge amounts to contractors and siphoning off public money. Asking the Government to announce a comprehensive action plan for the utilisation of surplus Godavari waters in the state, he suggested step-ladder projects for ensuring zero submergence of precious lands.

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