Date:12/02/2005 URL: http://www.thehindu.com/2005/02/12/stories/2005021207980400.htm

Andhra Pradesh

State avoiding talks: PUCL

By Our Staff Reporter

WARANGAL, FEB. 11. The president of the People's Union of Civil Liberties (PUCL), K.G. Kannabiran, has alleged that the State Government is not serious about peace talks with naxalite groups.

The question of arms is not a hurdle, but the Government is under compulsion and hence is avoiding the second phase of talks.

"The Government cannot simply do away with people's movements by killing naxalites. It should discharge its constitutional duty of addressing issues like land, hunger deaths and suicide by farmers," he said while delivering the Prof. B. Janardhan Rao memorial lecture at Kakatiya University here on Friday.

Blaming the Government for derailment of the peace talks, he said the police had killed several extremists within a week contending that they were moving with arms in villages. While admitting that naxalites too killed some persons branding them informers, he pointed out that naxalites were not moving with arms.

Armed struggle

Mr. Kannabiran recalled the history of the armed struggle from 1969 to 2004 in his lecture titled `Guthikonda Bilam to Guthikonda Bilam' and related his association with the events spanning the period.

The human rights activist opined that the talks came to a halt as the Government failed to take serious note of the issues raised by the naxal groups during the first phase and implement the same.

Asked whether mediators would influence naxals to come for talks as requested by the Chief Minister, Y.S. Rajasekhara Reddy, Mr. Kannabiran said they could not do so anymore. "The Chief Minister never asked us to prevail upon naxal groups," he added.