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

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Monday, Apr 11, 2005

Andhra Pradesh

Andhra Pradesh

Janashakti emissaries pull out of talks

By Our Staff Reporter

HYDERABAD, APRIL 10. The Janashakti emissaries -- Challapalli Srinivasa Rao and Chandranna -- on Sunday pulled out of peace talks with the State Government on the ground that the situation was "hopelessly bad" for resumption of the dialogue.

This development comes a week after the Maoist emissaries -- Varavara Rao, Gadar and G. Kalyan Rao - announced their decision to withdraw from the peace process. Mr. Srinivasa Rao and Mr. Chandranna told reporters that they waited for a full week to see if there would be any change in the attitude of the Government following the Maoist emissaries' announcement. But since combing in the forest and raids on naxalite hideouts continued, they felt that their position had become untenable.

`Leaders targeted'

They said they were advised restraint by democrats and mediators in the talks after the Maoist and Janashakti parties' leadership withdrew from the peace process on January 18. The situation deteriorated thereafter with the police directly targeting Ramakrishna and Amar, Maoist and Janashakti State secretaries respectively, who turned up for the talks at great risk to their lives.

As there was no possibility of talks resuming in the face of serious threat to the lives of senior leaders and 59 members of the two outfits getting killed in 30 encounters since the breakdown of the talks, they had decided to quit. They said they would strive to build up people's movements for peace through frontal organisations of the Janashakti which they headed. Mr. Srinivasa Rao is the State president of Andhra Pradesh Rytu Coolie Sangham and Mr. Chandranna is the State secretary of the All-India Federation of Trade Unions (AIFTU).

They would write to the Home Minister, K. Jana Reddy, about their decision.

Congress activist killed

Meanwhile, in Anantapur district, Maoists killed a Congress activist at Narsimpalli of Bukkapatnam mandal in the early hours of Sunday.

According to the police, some six armed naxals, including two women cadre, went to the village and inquired about two persons. On learning that the two were not available, they went to the house of Sainath Reddy, a follower of the Gorantla MLA, P. Ravindra Reddy, and woke him up. On being asked for food, the wife of Sainath Reddy packed some sweets prepared for Ugadi. While returning, the naxals took Sainath Reddy along with them, saying that he would not be harmed. When villagers objected, the naxals threatened them at gunpoint and whisked away Sainath Reddy to the outskirts of the village where some 50 other Maoists were waiting. They then shot him dead and escaped.

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