YSR admits truce helped Naxals regroup

The merger of PWG and other Naxalite groups, according to him, had made things worse. ‘‘Otherwise, leaders of PWG would have joined the mainstream by now.’’ On charges of fake encounters, the CM said: ‘‘It is our responsibility to maintain law and order. They (Maoists) must lay down arms. If they don’t, we find no difficulty in maintaining law and order. Our police is very efficient and very experienced.’’ As for a re-imposition of the ban on Maoist groups due to the spurt in violence, he added: ‘‘If needed, we will not shy away from considering it.’’

Reddy does not hide his aversion to the formation of a Telangana state. ‘‘Unless there is a consensus, the formation of a separate state is not that easy,’’ he said. On his part, he has also put a spanner in the works of the TRS by demanding that the issue be assigned to a second state reorganisation commission.

When asked about the claim made by Labour Minister and TRS chief K. Chandrasekhara Rao that Congress chief Sonia Gandhi had given him an assurance on Telangana, Reddy said: ‘‘You must ask Sonia Gandhi. Rao cannot hold a brief for her. She is also not expected to respond to everything that everyone says.’’

These two major challenges apart, Reddy has to contend with the farmer suicides, which proved to be the undoing of his predecessor N. Chandrababu Naidu. Reddy has launched numerous schemes, most of them named after Indira Gandhi or Rajiv Gandhi, to fill his report card — Indiraamma Rajyam, Rajiv Gandhi Brihkalpa, Indira Kranti Pathakam, Rajiv Yuva Shakti, Rajiv Gandhi internet village programme.

Not content after grabbing power from Naidu, he strives hard to snatch his USP — information technology — by projecting that it is flourishing more now. Reddy said: ‘‘I have registered a 60 per cent growth in IT industry.’’ As for Naidu, ‘‘he only created a hype,’’ the CM added.