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Journalism of Courage
With the People8217;s War PW deciding to withdraw from the dialogue with the Telugu Desam government, as a protest against continuing encounters, a landmark exercise intended to bring about the cessation of a bloody spiral of violence in the forests of Andhra Pradesh has come to a premature end. What had apparently commenced as unconditional talks, initially between two front men nominated by the guerrilla outfit and as many ministers from the government side, were plagued by roadblocks. With the PW insisting on the lifting of the decade-old ban on it, and the government sticking to its stand that the PW must first lay down its arms, there was little meeting ground. Even as the dialogue process was on, PW cadres were charged with beating to death a mandal parishad member in Mahboobnagar district, killing a TDP leader8217;s kin in Warangal district as also a Congress leader in Guntur district and firing at a bus carrying policemen among others in Mahboobnagar. On its part, despite the government8217;s guarantee of restraint, the state police killed as many as 11 functionaries of the outlawed group, including a top leader, in what were widely believed to be fake encounters.
The result of all this was a loss of faith. PW emissaries 8212; revolutionary writer Vara Vara Rao and balladeer Gadar 8212; announced their withdrawal from their roles as negotiators. Clearly both sides lacked the determination to see the process through despite all impediments. It almost seemed that the determination on both sides to thwart the talks was far greater than their sincerity to carry on with them.
