Telangana Cong chief: ‘Maoists are our own citizens … fighting for poor … that’s why urging Centre to hold peace talks with them’

*Why should peace talks be held with the Maoists?

Right to life is a fundamental right. No one has the right to curb the right to life. What is happening as far as Operation Kagar (anti-Maoist offensive carried out by the central and state security personnel around the Karreguttalu hill range straddling Telangana and Chhattisgarh) is concerned? The Congress will not support terrorism if it comes either from the Naxal side or the government side. The Congress party’s fundamental rule is Ahimsa (non-violence).

So now, my request to the Union government is to go for peace talks because any person who is ready to surrender himself, surrender his weapons and is ready to join the mainstream should be given an opportunity to do so. Why is the government hesitating to hold peace talks?

*What is your concern over the anti-Maoist offensive?

My concern is that there are many civilians inside the forests, there are civilian tribals inside the forests, thousands of security personnel are deployed to bring down the Maoists. What if we lose civilians in the shoot-out or encounter?

Recently, they (security forces) arrested some Maoists. Legal action will be initiated against them. I am requesting the central government to go legally while dealing with Maoists. If they are intending to surrender, let them surrender and then legal action can be taken against them.

*Why did you draw a parallel between anti-Maoist operation and action against Pakistan?

When Operation Sindoor against Pakistan started Congress was the first party to support it, with our leaders including Mallikarjun Kharge, Rahul Gandhi, Sonia Gandhi and Priyanka Gandhi supporting the war against Pakistan. We stood behind the armed forces and fully supported the Union government. But all of a sudden the government declared a ceasefire. We strongly oppose the involvement of US President Donald Trump in this ceasefire because this was a bilateral issue.

(However)… they (government) have a problem in having peace talks with our own citizens. Naxals are our own citizens, though they have taken up a different path and ideology. After all, they are fighting for the poor. That is the reason we have been urging the Centre for holding peace talks with the Maoists.

When the Congress was in power in (the erstwhile undivided) Andhra Pradesh our then chief ministers Marri Chenna Reddy and YS Rajashekhar Reddy held peace talks with the Naxals. To a great extent these talks were successful. Many Naxals had then openly joined the mainstream, surrendered their arms and are living peaceful lives right now.

*The Congress leadership had called Maoism “the biggest internal security threat in the country”. Why is the Telangana Congress advocating peace talks with Maoists?

The Congress is against violent politics of the Maoists. We still consider them an internal security threat. I am not supporting the killings done by Naxalites who are extremists. I am a victim of Naxalites myself because I lost my properties and my father was fatally attacked by the Naxalites back in 1989. He died in the hospital.

But when the Maoists request peace talks, we should consider this because life should be preserved. Peace talks should be considered to preserve our constitutional value of right to life. We cannot curb the right to live. Besides, Naxalism was a product of inequality – One per cent of the rich in the country are holding about 40% of the country’s wealth and the downtrodden are holding only 3% of its wealth.

I request the government to look at Maoism as a socio-economic, political problem and not purely as a law and order problem. When they (Naxalites) are pleading for peace talks, I don’t see any wrong in holding such talks.

*Telangana’s state policy has been to encourage surrender of Maoists. Have you seen any success in that?

Yes, in the past 10 years several top Maoist leaders have surrendered in Telangana and were imprisoned. Some of them were released later and they have joined the mainstream. Bloodshed, in any form – the Congress party will not accept that.

*What is your response to the BJP’s allegation that while backing the Maoists the Congress is also supporting Pakistan-sponsored terrorists?

This is simply misleading. Congress was the first party to support the Union government when Operation Sindoor started. Our Congress leaders stood with the government. We only oppose the way the war was stopped despite having a huge scope to proceed forward and annihilate terror bases and terrorists.

We want to know from Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Home Minister Amit Shah what we gained and what we lost in military action against Pakistan. They are not clear and they are misguiding people even to the extent that they have not clarified how many Rafale jets were shot down by Pakistan. There is a huge difference between the war led by Indira ji (Indira Gandhi in 1971) and the war led by Prime Minister Modi. Indiraji’s war was successful. Here the Prime Minister is unable to say what we have gained and what we have lost.

Operation Kagar is completely different from Operation Sindoor.

*The BJP accuses you of being under the influence of ‘Urban Naxals’…

We say Operation Kagar is different from Operation Sindoor because in the former case the government is fighting Indian citizens who have the right to live. We do not endorse Maoists who have killed innocent people. At the same time, killing Maoists mercilessly when they have offered to surrender is unconstitutional. Moreover, we have to worry about civilian casualties.