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Oscar for talks with militants

By Our Special Correspondent

GULBARGA May 3. The All-India Congress Committee (AICC) general secretary, Oscar Fernandes, MP, has backed the suggestion that the Centre should initiate a dialogue with various militant groups, including the ULFA and the People's War Group (PWG), which are active in Assam, Andhra Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra, and Chattisgarh.

Mr. Fernandes, who is in charge of the north-eastern States, told presspersons here today the party supported the ongoing talks with the Naga rebels and said that the process of negotiations with them began when P.V. Narasimha Rao was the Prime Minister.

He said there was nothing wrong in opening a dialogue with other militant groups such as the ULFA and the PWG if that would help find a solution to the problem of militancy. "When we can talk to arch-rival Pakistan, why not speak to militant outfits in our own country?" he asked.

Referring to the arrest of a Minister in Arunachal Pradesh for his alleged connections with militants, Mr. Fernandes said the life of public representatives in the north-eastern and other States affected by militancy was miserable, but refused to elaborate further.

On the charge of misuse of POTA against political rivals in some States such as Tamil Nadu and Uttar Pradesh, Mr. Fernandes said the Congress had opposed the draconian provisions of POTA and warned that the Act would be misused to settle personal and political scores.

Asked to comment on the demand made by some of the NDA partners, including the DMK, the PMK, the MDMK, to scrap POTA since it was allegedly being misused by the Tamil Nadu Government against its political adversaries, Mr. Fernandes said, "I do not understand their double-speak. If these parties opposed POTA, they should have voted against it or they should come out of the NDA now."

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