PWG accepts invitation for talks, insists on ceasefire

PWG has accepted AP Govt's formal invitation for talks, paving the way to end decades of Maoist violence.

The outlawed People's War Group (PWG) has accepted the Andhra Pradesh government's formal invitation for talks, paving the way for a comprehensive dialogue to end three decades of Maoist violence.

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Hours after state Home Minister K Jana Reddy extended the invitation and urged the Maoists to come out with an agenda, the PWG leadership responded positively and put forth some demands.

In a statement released to few media organisations on Tuesday night, PWG secretary Ramakrishna said they were ready for simultaneous implementation of 'ceasefire'.

He wanted the government to withdraw rewards on all Maoist leaders who were underground. The state government had last week had announced that the policemen who killed Maoists in gun battles would not get rewards.

Ramakrishna demanded that the crackdown against PWG be stopped immediately.

"In the name of routine patrolling combing operations are continuing," he said, and referred to the recent gunbattle in Nalgonda district.

Rejecting Chief Minister YS Rajasekhara Reddy's appeal that the guerrillas confine themselves to forests during peace talks, the PWG leader demanded that the government should allow them to carry on their political campaign.

Demanding that police be kept out of talks, he urged the government to transfer some police officials who were against a dialogue.

Welcoming PWG's response to the talks offer, the home minister said there was no need to announce a formal ceasefire as the guns had fallen silent since the new government took power last month.

He, however, assured the guerrillas that there would be no combing operations or gun battles. "We have already issued instructions to the police in this regard."

Jana Reddy said the PWG could carry on political propaganda but the group should not create law and order problems.

He made it clear that if problems were created, the police would be forced to take action. He, however, agreed to look into the PWG demands on stopping rewards for policemen for killing Maoist guerrillas.

The minister on Tuesday held talks with civil liberties activists to prepare the ground for talks.

The convenor of Committee of Concerned Citizens (CCC), former bureaucrat SR Sankaran, urged both the state government and PWG to exercise restraint and not to indulge in any act that could spoil the atmosphere.

"We call for democratic conduct on part of the government, particularly police," he said.

This will be the second peace meeting in as many years. The first such dialogue between the government and PWG nominated mediators broke down in July 2002 after three rounds from June 5 to June 20.

The PWG intensified their activities after the failure of the talks. Last year the groups tried to assassinate then chief minister N Chandrababu Naidu.

Maoist violence during the last 35 years has claimed nearly 6,000 lives in Andhra Pradesh. More than 3,000 people were killed during last one decade alone.