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Andhra Pradesh : Talks with Naxalites |
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The Naxalite (Left extremism) problem has been always a major issue for all chief ministers in Andhra Pradesh and the present Chief Minister Dr Y S Rajashekhara Reddy(YSR) is no exception. The state has been facing the problem for the last few decades. Reddy has already taken the initiative and urged the People’s War Group (PWG) to respond positively to his Government and give peace a chance by creating a congenial atmosphere for talks.
The government has asked police officials to stop the combing operations against the Naxalites in the forest areas as 32 CPIML-Pratighatna Naxalites surrendered in Hyderabad last week. The govt has announced that the rewards on the heads of the Naxalites will not go to the policemen who killed them. It is now for the Naxalites to respond by not visiting the villages with arms and disrupting the peace and law and order.
The reason of the failure of every government to tackle the Naxals is the way they have been handled. The Naxalite movement is a socio-political one. However it has always been considered as a law and order problem. Reddy has said his Government is adopting a new method to solve the problem of extremism by trying to form a conciliatory committee through which the talks will be conducted. He said mediators between the Government and the extremists have said the extremists are inclined to give up the armed struggle and join the mainstream if the talks succeed in solving the problems. “There is no reason for not believing them,” he added.
The Chief Minister said his Government’s top priority was to understand the problems and issues raised by the Naxalites which include land reforms and the development of villages as well the problems faced by the Naxalites as an organisation.
The Naxalites have responded immediately, announcing that they were ready for talks and a simultaneous ceasefire. PWG secretary Ramakrishna said his organisation was prepared to negotiate and wanted the government to involve “all those who had a role in restoring peace in a democratic manner.” (For a background to the Naxalite problem, ask for our special study on “Extremism in India.”)
Good initiative
Observers note that the state Government’s decision to initiate talks with the banned People’s War is a step in the right direction. The Telugu Desam Government began talks with People’s War two years ago, but the process collapsed before making any headway. The Rajasekhara Reddy administration has to take care to ensure that a congenial climate is created for the talks. The Government has sensibly taken preparatory steps such as halting combing operations and withdrawing the rewards scheme for policemen who captured or gunned down the Naxalites. It was only after these conditions were met that People’s War expressed its willingness to talk and to observe “a simultaneous ceasefire.”
The challenge of armed Naxalism is not confined to Andhra Pradesh and affects a substantial part of central and eastern India. Its attempt has been to create a “contiguous forest corridor” from Andhra Pradesh to Nepal, traversing Orissa, Madhya Pradesh, Chhattisgarh, Uttar Pradesh and even parts of West Bengal. Any breakthrough in Hyderabad can have significant positive implications for all the affected regions.
The Common Minimum Programme of the Congress-led United Progressive Alliance at the Centre is clear-sighted about the nature of the challenge: “The UPA is concerned with the growth of extremist violence and other forms of terrorist activity in different States. This is not merely a law and order problem, but a far deeper socio-economic issue which will be addressed more meaningfully than has been the case so far. False encounters will not be permitted.”
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