No pre-conditions for talks: PC tells Maoists

New Delhi, Feb 23: The Home Ministry on Tuesday, Feb 23 made it clear to the Maoists that it will not accept any pre-conditions for talks.

Briefing media persons on the ministry's response to the conditional ceasefire offer made by the Maoists on Monday, Feb 22, Onkar Kedia, Home Ministry spokesperson, said that Mr Chidambaram is not ready to accept any 'ifs' and 'buts' or conditions for talks.

The Union Home Minister P Chidambaram has said that CPI-Maoists should abjure violence and say it is prepared for talks.

The minister has also asked the extremists to fax the ceasefire offer statement to the Home Ministry.

Earlier, Maoists announced that they were ready for a 72 day ceasefire starting from Feb 25 till May 7 but only if the Centre gives up the Operation Green Hunt, which has been initiated to wipe out red terror in the affected regions.

CPI(Maoist) politburo member Koteshwar Rao alias Kishenji who spoke to the media over the phone from an undiscolsed location, had said, "The Centre and the state should stop their non-stop violence on the common people in the name of Maoists and we assure to renounce violence."

"As long as state sponsored terrorism and violence remains stopped we will renounce our revolutionary revenge," he added, urging the Centre to focus on development of tribal areas than on violence.

OneIndia News