‘Don’t want to fire a single bullet’: Chhattisgarh govt says ready for peace talks with Maoists

The development comes amid intensified counter-insurgency operations – in the latest, 18 Maoists were gunned down in two separate encounters in Bastar earlier this week.

“We are always ready for peace talks in the interest of the people. Therefore, we are asking central and state governments to create a positive atmosphere for peace talks… If central and state governments respond positively to these offers, we will immediately declare a ceasefire,” it states.

In response, Sharma told the media that the authenticity of the letter still needs to be verified.

“They are talking about a ceasefire. I don’t understand how the discussion will take place with such terminology. I want to say again that neither the central or state government wants to fire a single bullet, and that’s the reason why the rehabilitation policy has been brought again. So many (Naxal) people surrendered and are being rehabilitated with an attempt to make their lives stable,” he said.

The Maoists, he said, want the state to stop setting up police camps. “They (Maoists) say if the state stops making police camps, we will pause the war. What is this war-like situation that you want to pause? There is no war situation… If you (Maoist) really want a discussion, we are ready… You can send an individual or a committee or (pick) any channel of your choice for a dialogue, and if a solution comes of it, honourable Amit Shah ji and Vishnu Deo Sai ji will be very happy,” he said.

He also mocked the outlawed outfit for mentioning the Constitution in their letter.

“In the letter, they say BJP is working against the Constitution. Do they even believe in the Constitution? The Indian flag is hoisted to implement the Indian Constitution and not to implement an individual’s name or individual’s law. In 1.5 years, there are 40 villages where flag hoisting was done and the Indian Constitution was implemented,” he said.

This comes amid renewed anti-insurgency push in the state since the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) government swept to power in December 2023. Over 350 Maoists have been killed in various operations since then, of which 135 were gunned down this year alone.

Union Home Minister Amit Shah has vowed to root out Left Wing Extremism (LWE) by March 2026 – a deadline that Chhattisgarh Chief Minister Vishnu Deo Sai reiterates after every major encounter.