Odisha govt appeals to extend April 5 deadline

Chief minister Naveen Patnaik has appealed to the Maoists who are holding an MLA hostage to extend their April 05 deadline and invited the chief of a Maoist-backed outfit for negotiation. Earlier, the Maoists released an audiotape threatening the government of dire consequences if their demands were not met. They also set the deadline as April 05. However, the move from the state government came after the abducted MLA Jhina Hikaka, in his second letter to chief minister Naveen Patnaik, accused the Odisha government of not doing enough for his safe release.