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Chidambaram asks Maoists to abjure violence for talks | Union Home Minister P. Chidambaram has asked Maoists to abjure violence and said the government is ready to address their grievances. Talking to reporters on the sidelines of a
seminar here on Tuesday, Chidambaram said: "The government might set up an alternative
government structure in the tribal areas, if Maoists come forth to negotiate with
logical suggestions. " We know that they will not lay down arms. So we are not
asking them to lay down arms. Abjure violence and come to (negotiating) table
and we ask the state governments to talk to Maoists and address their grievances
that requires alternative government structure in some of these tribal areas.
We can explore that also," he added. The Maoist violence -- estimated to cause
600 to 700 deaths annually and the displacement 100,000 civilians -- has spread
to 182 of India's 602 districts and has been declared as the country's single
biggest internal security challenge. The Maoists have stepped up violence across
eastern and central India. They have attacked schools and police stations, and
used landmines and Improvised Explosive Devices (IEDs) to disrupt infrastructure
development projects. The main objective of the Maoists is to prevent the development
of infrastructure in remote areas, which so far has remained their exclusive domain.
Thousands have been killed by Maoists in the recent past. Prime Minister Manmohan
Singh has described the Maoist threat one of the gravest homegrown threats to
India's internal security. The Maoists claim they are fighting for the rights
of poor farmers and landless labourers, but they are fast losing credibility as
they continue attacking schools, hospitals and infrastructure projects. |
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