The Hindu : Andhra Pradesh News : Maoist emissaries pull out of talks

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Tuesday, Apr 05, 2005

Andhra Pradesh

Andhra Pradesh

Maoist emissaries pull out of talks

By Our Special Correspondent

HYDERABAD, APRIL 4. The three emissaries, whom the Maoists chose to represent them in the peace talks with the Government, announced their decision to pull out of the process here today, nearly two-and-a-half months after the Maoists themselves made a similar announcement.

Addressing a press conference, Kalyan Rao, Gaddar and Varavara Rao, whom the CPI (Maoist) nominated, and Chandranna, Janashakti representative, said the Government had closed the door on peace talks despite repeated efforts to make it see reason. Fake encounters, combings and harassment of innocent people were on the rise and the atmosphere was no longer conducive for peace talks.

After the first round of talks, the Government had changed tack and began insisting on Clause 7, which stipulated a ban on naxal weapons, they said. Of late, there was the talk of banning their frontal organisations. Cases were being foisted on even the emissaries in a bid to intimidate them.

Naxal violence was only a counter violence provoked by the Government stand and there was not a single instance of any innocent unarmed person being killed by naxalites before January 15 this year. They said the relative peace that prevailed during the talks process was a welcome sign and they could get back to the talks-table if a similar situation prevailed.

The Government must halt the encounters and combing operations for the Maoists to respond favourably, they said, and added that if the Government followed the rule of law there should be no bloodshed in the State. The CPI (Maoist) had urged people to take to arms on January 15 itself in the light of the combing operations and fake encounters.

Hence, one could well imagine the course that the police-naxal face-off would take in future in the event the Government remained adamant.

They refused to comment on the naxal violence stating that it would be improper on their part to say anything because the Maoists themselves had spoken their mind in their statement of January 15 urging people to take to arms while announcing their decision to pull out of talks.

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