HYDERABAD, 5 April 2005 — Maoist rebel leaders here said yesterday they had given up on efforts to make peace, blaming local police for mounting violence since a truce collapsed more than three months ago.
Maoist emissaries P. Vavavara Rao and G. Kalyan Rao have withdrawn from the peace efforts in protest against the repression let loose by Andhra Pradesh government and the killing of 80 Maoists and other naxalites in alleged encounters by the police in the last 13 weeks.
Explaining the reason for their decision, Vavavara Rao said: “Attempts to create tribal Greyhound (anti-extremist elite commando) force, impart training through the military to the Greyhound commandos, create joint command force by the Naxalite-affected states and, finally, the move to ban the CPI-Maoist not only in Andhra Pradesh but all over India under the Central Act indicate that the state and central governments are busy with the conspiracy to suppress the revolutionary movement through repressive measures.”
Peace talks between the Maoists and the Andhra Pradesh state government collapsed in January after 12 rebels were killed in clashes with police.
The rebels had since set fresh conditions for talks including an end to all police action against them and the suspension of four district police chiefs. They accused the four of staging gun battles to kill captured rebels.
“We are withdrawing from our responsibility as emissaries of the Maoists in view of the government’s failure to ensure a relative feeling of peace in the villages,” P. Varavara Rao, a prominent rebel spokesman, said in a statement.
Maoist leaders said the state government had gone back on its commitment to resolve the more than three-decade-old revolt through negotiations.
The state government termed the Maoist decision as unfortunate and blamed it on a “lack of communication”. The government has said it was willing to meet all Maoist demands if they gave up arms and joined the mainstream. But the rebels have refused to lay down arms.
Violence has escalated in Andhra Pradesh since the ceasefire collapsed and more than 110 people, including 53 rebels, have since been killed in gun battles and attacks by the guerrillas.
Meanwhile, in continuing violence, Maoists killed a BJP activist Ayyapa Reddy (35) in Peddapur village in Mahbubnagar district yesterday morning. Maoists also killed a Congress leader and burned seven state-owned RTC buses in Mahbubnagar and Guntur districts on Sunday night in retaliation to encounter killings.
— Additional input from agencies
