The Congress government in Telangana is set to back peace talks with Maoists in an attempt to break the cycle of violence.
After consulting with the national leadership, the party is expected to urge the NDA government to suspend the ongoing “Operation Kagar” — a security operation in the forests of Chhattisgarh aimed at eliminating Maoist presence.
“We are discussing the matter at the national level. Once the Congress finalises its stand on Operation Kagar, the Telangana government will announce its official policy on holding peace talks with the Maoists,” Chief Minister A Revanth Reddy said.
It was during the Congress rule in united Andhra Pradesh that the first-ever direct talks with Naxalites were held in October 2004.
However, the dialogue collapsed after the Naxalite outfit People’s War Group (PWG) withdrew from talks, citing continued ‘fake encounters’.
A section of civil society and political organisations has now renewed the demand to resume peace talks with the CPI (Maoist) and called on the state government to intervene in halting the security operation being conducted in Chhattisgarh and other states.
Revanth Reddy, who supports the revival of dialogue, held discussions with senior Congress leader and former home minister K Jana Reddy to explore possible frameworks.
He also spoke with AICC leader and former Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Digvijay Singh by phone regarding the Maoist issue, according to an official statement from the Chief Minister’s Office (CMO).
During a meeting with the Chief Minister on Sunday, members of the Civil Liberties Committee and other social groups formed a ‘Committee for Peace Talks’ and requested his intervention in reviving the peace process with the Maoists, who have already issued a call for a ceasefire.
The committee, led by its convenor Justice Chandrakumar and including members such as Prof Haragopal, Prof Anwar Khan, and Durga Prasad, urged the Chief Minister to take the matter up with the Central government.
The Chief Minister assured the committee members that his government viewed the Maoist movement through a social lens rather than merely as a law and order issue.
Interestingly, the principal opposition party Bharat Rashtra Samithi (BRS) has also demanded that the Centre begin dialogue with the Maoists in order to restore peace.
Meanwhile, state Panchayat Raj and Rural Development Minister Dansari Anasuya, popularly known as Seethakka, has also urged the Centre to cease Operation Kagar and open talks with the outlawed CPI (Maoists).
She underlined the importance of fostering peace in central India and other Maoist-affected regions, emphasising that governments must function within the constitutional framework, respecting the special rights and administrative safeguards enshrined in Schedule 5 of the Constitution for tribal areas.
As a member of the Adivasi community, Seethakka reaffirmed her commitment to defending the rights of indigenous peoples and called for a peaceful, dialogue-based resolution to the Maoist issue.
Follow us
