Hold talks with Naxals, Swami Agnivesh tells govt

Noted social activist Swami Agnivesh on Saturday appealed to the Chhattisgarh government to initiate talks to solve the problem of Naxalism. The tribal-dominated state is home to a large number of Naxals and is considered their bastion.

The chief minister should come forward to solve this decades-old problem through dialogue, he said at a press conference in Raipur in the presence of Chief Minister Raman Singh.

Five jawans of the Chhattisgarh Armed Force, abducted by Maoists on January 25, were released unconditionally on Friday night in a village in Narayanpur district, Agnivesh said. The social activist was present during their release.

The Naxals had demanded a 24-hour halt to operations by security personnel before the release of the jawans. The state government had responded by declaring a 48-hour ceasefire.

This gesture indicted that there was yearning for peace in the state, he said. Agnivesh said he will also talk to Home Minister P Chidambaram and senior central leaders about initiating talks with the ultras. He said the jawans were not harmed during captivity and were released without any conditions.

The social activist called for a review of the cases of people who have been jailed for allegedly being Naxal sympathisers, and the innocent among them should be released.

Singh thanked Agnivesh, other social activists and the media for the safe release of the jawans and added that his government was not averse to talking with Naxals.

The CM said the Naxal problem was not confined to Chhattisgarh. He said that he would take up the issue of talks with Chidambaram.