Centre cautious on Maoists' truce offer

New Delhi: The Union Home Ministry is in touch with West Bengal government to get a clear picture on Maoists’ announcement of “restraining arms” and is waiting for a formal communication from the Mamata Banerjee led dispensation before taking any view on the offer. Official sources said the central government is yet to receive any information from West Bengal government about the Maoist offer, its terms and conditions, its significance and whether the announcement was made with the full support of the CPI(Maoists)’s all powerful Central Committee. [caption id=“attachment_101920” align=“alignleft” width=“380” caption=“The Home Ministry officials were treading cautiously to the Maoist offer. AFP”]  [/caption] “We have our own view on Maoists truce offer. Let’s see what the Maoists actually said and what is the opinion of the state government to it,” a source said. The Home Ministry officials were treading cautiously to the Maoist offer as it did not have a good experience with extremists in Andhra Pradesh in the past. The past experience with Naxals in Andhra Pradesh has forced the Home Ministry officials to be circumspect as they feel that the announcement has no approval of the CPI-Maoists’s Central Committee and the all-powerful body has not taken any decision to go for peace negotiation with the government. During the ceasefire period between Andhra Pradesh government and Naxalites in 2004, Maoists had laid a large number of landmines in their areas of influence, strengthened the organisation by recruiting new cadres and mobilising people for their causes through overground workers. “We do not want to jump the gun. Let’s wait a few more days,” the source said. The Centre is also apprehensive about the Maoists offer on another ground as their policy documents does not subscribe to any talks at this stage of their “struggle” and they would enter into any talks at the final stage of their “revolution” when the Naxals would be “very powerful” and take over the government, sources said. On Tuesday, Maoists had said that they would restrain use of arms for one month if the government suspended joint operations in Junglemahal, West Bengal, to create a congenial atmosphere for talks. “If there is no joint operation in the area then we will restrain arms for one month,” a joint statement signed and issued by Akash, a spokesperson of Maoist state committee, besides eminent historian Sujato Bhadra and Choton Das, the two interlocutors of Maoists, said. PTI