Bandi Sanjay rules out peace talks with Maoists, says laying down arms and surrendering only option for Maoists

Union Minister Bandi Sanjay Kumar rejects peace talks with Maoists, challenges Congress, BRS on their stance, urges surrender of arms.

Union Minister of State for Home Affairs Bandi Sanjay Kumar on Sunday ruled out peace talks with Maoists saying there can be no talks with those who ‘hold weapons’ and ‘kill innocents’. “How can peace talks be held with an outlawed organisation,” he said, adding, “They (Maoists) must lay down their arms and surrender to the police.”

Speaking to reporters at Kothapally near Karimnagar, the Union Minister came down heavily on both the Congress and the BRS accusing them of advocating peace talks with Maoists. It was the Congress government that banned the CPI (Maoist) in the past, he charged.

Mr. Sanjay strongly responded to Chief Minister A. Revanth Reddy’s reported comment that the Maoist issue should be seen from a social perspective and also found fault with BRS president K. Chandrasekhar Rao’s suggestion that ‘Operation Kagar’ be stopped.

“Is it appropriate to view the act of Maoists carrying guns and killing innocent people and tribals as a social issue? Didn’t you remember all this when many civilians, police personnel and political leaders were being killed?” he asked.

Mr. Sanjay challenged whether the Congress government has the guts to lift the ban imposed on Maoists in the State.

He said, “Naxalites killed several BJP cadres like Sama Jaganmohan Reddy and Ramanna Gopanna. Not just them, they have also killed many Congress leaders, including former Assembly speaker D. Sripada Rao, who was known to be an enemy to none, and several TDP leaders too.”

“Why didn’t they speak then? When Naxalites are planting claymore mines and killing police, will they justify it? They must answer,” Mr. Sanjay said.