Date:14/05/2005 URL: http://www.thehindu.com/2005/05/14/stories/2005051401441000.htm

Opinion - Editorials

No guarantees but only sensible road

It is invariably governments that are at the learning end of lessons from "peace talks" with armed extremist groups. This is decidedly the case in Andhra Pradesh now that talks between the State Government and the Maoists have broken down. As Chief Minister Y.S. Rajasekhara Reddy completes his first year in office, he seems clear about the road ahead: he wants peace, he is ready to talk with the Naxalites, but they must, at some point, lay down arms to facilitate a permanent solution and a lasting peace in the State. Had his Government been as focussed on these aspects before opening talks with People's War that subsequently came under the banner of the Communist Party of India Maoists, it might have been a different story. By all indicators, the Maoists have gained ground during the preparation for talks and after the talks collapsed — and they have gone about their own agenda in a single-minded way.

In a recent interview to The Hindu , Dr. Rajasekhara Reddy has reiterated his readiness to restart the dialogue. The other side of the coin is the understanding that the administration and the police cannot tolerate further Naxalite violence or killings. Combing operations are going on, even as sporadic killings and violence continue in some pockets of the State. About 90 civilians and 12 policemen, in addition to nearly 70 suspected Naxalites, have been killed this year in the "exchanges" or "encounters." Many politicians seem to be under threat and so too identified police officers. These developments have an adverse impact on law and order in Andhra Pradesh. They also affect the development prospects of the State, which has just bagged the German auto major Volkswagen project. The Maoist violence does militate against the investment climate in the State.

The Government and the police are now clear enough in their minds about how to proceed with the talks, if and when they resume. It is the three Maoist "emissaries" engaged in "talks about talks" with the Government who seem a divided lot. As things stand, there does not seem to be any active move, from either side, to reopen the talks. There has to be an initiative from one side to break the impasse and it is unlikely to come from the Maoists. To mark the completion of his first year in office, Dr. Reddy may try to revive the dialogue through an informal channel. However, there are two necessary conditions for any forward movement to happen. The Naxalites must once again declare a cessation of hostilities and express their readiness to talk; and the Government must respond constructively by halting operations. The terms and conditions need to be firmed up through reliable informal channels before any direct negotiations can begin. There is no guarantee that a peaceful political solution to the Naxalite question will emerge in Andhra Pradesh but Chief Minister Reddy carries the country's good wishes as he proceeds along a path to which there is no sensible alternative.