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AP CM vows to end Naxal violence

Syed Amin Jafri in Hyderabad

Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister Nara Chandrababu Naidu has vowed to put down the unprovoked violence by the Left-wing extremists, particularly the outlawed People's War Group of Naxalites.

Addressing a meeting of Telugu Desam Party functionaries from some of the Telangana districts at the party office, the chief minister condemned "the mindless violence" by the Naxalites and said that they had a "single-point programme of grabbing power at the point of the gun".

He said that the Naxalites had no faith in the democratic system and they were trying, unsuccessfully though, to usher in an armed revolution. "India is a vast country. They cannot usher in an armed revolution by spreading terror in a couple of districts," he remarked.

Chandrababu Naidu said that the development of the backward Telangana region was hampered due to the violent activities of the Naxalites. The extremists had no interest in the welfare of the poor for whom they are supposed to be "waging the so-called war," he quipped.

He expressed shock and grief over the incident wherein five innocent members of a family were killed in a blast triggered by the outlawed People's War Group at Basheerabad village in Nizamabad district.

"The ghastly act of the frustrated Naxalites resulted in the tragic death of innocent people, including children. The Naxalites are responsible for this heinous crime," he said and conveyed his grief and heart-felt condolences to the bereaved family members. He also announced an ex-gratia of Rs 300,000 and a house for the next of kin of the family at Basheerabad.

While condemning the inhuman act of the Naxalites, he said, "The government will take firm action against the Naxalites and put down such acts with an iron hand. We will take all steps to prevent such incidents in the future."

In a related development, the Hyderabad police took Revolutionary Writers Association member Varavara Rao and revolutionary ballad singer Gaddar into custody on Thursday evening while they were offering dharna at the state secretariat violating prohibitory orders. They resorted to the protest programme, demanding a judicial probe into the December 2 killing of three top PWG leaders in an "alleged" encounter with the police in Koyyur forest area in Karimnagar district. Varavara Rao and Gaddar were later remanded to judicial custody.

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