Author: Times News Network
Publication: The Times of India,
Hyderabad
Date: January 19, 2005
The Congress bounced back to power
in Andhra Pradesh with the assistance of the naxalites and the government
won't do anything to put the peace process in jeopardy, Pradesh Congress
Committee chief K. Keshava Rao said here on Tuesday.
During brief interaction with reporters
here, Rao condemned the encounters of last week and said they have put
MLAs in the grip of fear.
Expressing deep concern over the
naxalites' decision not to return to the negotiating table, the Pradesh
Congress Committee chief said: "The Congress party and the government are
committed to resolving the naxalite problem."
He urged the Maoist leadership to
return to talks.
Refusing to take any further questions,
Rao said there was no change in the party's stand as far as the naxalite
problem was concerned. He said both the party and the government viewed
the problem as a socio-economic one, which needed to be resolved quickly.
The government, he said, had made
its intentions clear by starting the talks process soon after returning
to power and, consequently, one round of talks had been held.
It was in the process of implementing
decisions taken in the first meeting before the second edition could begin.
The land distribution programme
scheduled for January 26 was one such major initiative. This was the result
of the first round of talks.
