Maoists offer for talks a Bizzare - Chidambaram

Union Home Minister P Chidambaram today described as "bizarre" last month's reported offer by Maoist leader Koteshwar Rao for a truce and talks because, barely three hours later, the Maoists attacked a joint patrol party of the West Bengal and the Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) in Lalgarh, West Bengal.

At a press conference held here to present the monthly report of his Ministry, Mr Chidambaram recalled that the patrol party had retailiated and three people were killed.

He said that, in the seven days since then, there had been 18 significant acts of violence in Bihar, Chhattisgarh, Jharkhand, Orissa and West Bengal. These included landmine blasts, killing of civilians alleged to be police informers, attack on police parties, ambushing of trucks and other vehicles, and blasting of school buildings, he said.

He pointed out that eleven lives had been lost, including that of Inspector Ravi Lahan Mitra of Saranga police station in West Bengal.

Mr Chidambaram said he had not received any response from the CPI (Maoist) to the statement he had made after the so-called offer by Rao, also known as Kishenji, was reported by the media.

According to the media reports, the Maoists had on February 22 offered to halt violence for 72 days on the condition that the Centre stopped its operations against them.

"We are ready to observe a ceasefire from February 25 to May 7," the reports quoted Kishenji as saying.

The offer came a week after the attack by armed Maoists on a camp of the Eastern Frontier Rifles (EFR) in the Shilda area of West Midnapore district in West Bengal on February 15, in which 24 men of the paramilitary force were killed.

In his statement on the following day, Mr Chidambaram made it clear that the Maoists would have to first abjure violence before the Government could consider their offer.

"I would like a short, simple statement from the CPI (Maoist) saying 'We will abjure violence and we are prepared for talks'," he had said said.

"I would like no ifs, no buts and no conditions. I would like the statement to be faxed to 011-23093155. Once I receive the statement, I shall consult the Prime Minister and other colleagues and respond promptly," Mr Chidambaram had added.

The Home Minister said today that, many weeks ago, he had offered to facilitate talks with the CPI (Maoist) provided they abjured violence.

"There was no meaningful response to that offer. Nevertheless, on February 23, 2010, I responded that if the CPI (Maoist) made a short, simple and unconditional statement that they would abjure violence, Government would be prepared to hold talks with them. I have received no response to my statement," he added.