GOI clueless:Government ready to talk to Maoists

[pkd]

Government ready to talk to Maoists
NEW DELHI: For the first time, the Union government on Tuesday firmly indicated its readiness to start a process of holding dialogue with the outlawed CPI (Maoist) provided the outfit called a halt to violence.

Home Minister P. Chidambaram said the government would be willing to start a process “through which the State government concerned and the Central government can hold talks with them [CPI -Maoist] on any issue that concerns them and the people they claim to represent.”

Mr. Chidambaram noted that the only hurdle in holding talks with the CPI (Maoist) was the violence that stalked the areas in which they operated.

The Minister made the offer in a letter to the former Lok Sabha Speaker, Rabi Ray.

Mr. Ray, along with other prominent members of civil society, under the banner of newly-launched Citizens Initiative for Peace, had urged the government to begin a dialogue with the CPI (Maoist) and stop the offensive against naxalites in some States. Mr. Chidambaram took cognizance of the statement of the Initiative, published by The Hindu on Monday.

In his two-page letter to Mr. Ray, the Minister pointed out that recent statements made by CPI(Maoist) leaders Muppala Laxman Rao (Ganapathy) and Mallojula Koteshwar Rao (Kishenji) justified violence and armed struggle.

“It must be unconditional”


Responding to the letter, the Citizens Initiative for Peace, in a resolution passed at a meeting here on Tuesday, said that the dialogue should be “unconditional.”

It added that the Centre should stop its current offensive in areas where Maoists were active and Maoists should also cease all hostilities so that a ceasefire was facilitated.

Mr. Chidambaram said that in 2009 alone, the CPI (Maoist) had caused 183 violent attacks on economic targets, including railway tracks, telephone towers, power plants, mines, school buildings and panchayat bhavans. There were at least 21 acts of violence during the two-day band on October 13-14.

The government was also concerned about the real issues that affected people – food security, land and forest rights, education, health and justice, he said.

 

[gogbot]

AND why exactly is the GOI clueless.

 

[booo]

Mr. PC always said that govt is ready for talks if the maoists give up their arms.

Chidambaram's fresh appeal to Naxals
Another day, another Naxal attack. As the Home Minister was speaking to the military chiefs, in West Bengal's west Midnapore two policemen were killed and two were abducted.

And the Maoist politburo member Kishenji went on record to not just admit the beheading of Frances Induawar but also accused the government of betraying the people in backward areas.

"Chidambaram should apologise for betraying the people in backward areas. If Chidambaram wants to talk, he should withdraw MoUs with multinational corporations in adivasi areas," said Kishenji.

So, is India heading for a bloody civil confrontation between security forces and armed Maoists who already control 2000 police stations and 40,000 square kilometers of what's come to be called the country's red corridor.

Red Corridor

Over 20 states
40,000 sq km area

Some human rights activists are hoping for a middle ground.

In the capital on Tuesday well-known citizens such as Justice Rajendra Sachar, Magsaysay Award winners Aruna Roy and Sandeep Pandey met to start a dialogue on the government's anti-Maoist strategy. They said if the state sent in more forces, it would lead to genocide. And that already people were victims of state violence.

"Why do people pick up guns? Asked Aruna Roy, Activist.

The Home Minister responded readily making a fresh offer for dialogue and also making it clear that Maoists had to be "treated differently".

In a letter written to the former Speaker Rabi Ray Chidambaram said: The Maoist leader were justifying violence and the only hurdle to holding talks with them was violence. He said Maoists should abjure violence and talk to the governments concerned.

Chidambaram's Fresh Appeal

Maoists are justifying violence
Only hurdle is violence
Abjure violence, let's talk

Over 40,000 troops are already there and 16000 more are to be sent into the forests off Jharkhand, Chhattisgarh and Orissa for a joint operation to try and reclaim areas under Maoist control.

The only thing that could stop it is if the Maoists accept, the offer for talks. It's a slim chance but one that peace deserves.

 

[Srinivas]

May be they are buying time for reassessing their plans

 

[Born In The USA]

AND why exactly is the GOI clueless.

you can expect such a title from pkd.

 

[Nemesis]

Why exactly is GOI clueless? talking to the maoists is the correct way forward.

 

[pkd]

Why exactly is GOI clueless? talking to the maoists is the correct way forward.

Surely it is the only way forward but GOI is dithery, at one point it is voiceferously adopting an iron fist policy , but after a couple days it finds panacea in a dialogue.

 

[pkd]

you can expect such a title from pkd.

Impressed