CPI (Maoist) lays down five conditions, asks government to recognise it as a political movement

A day ahead of Phase One of the Lok Sabha election, the Maoists called for a truce.

In a statement on Sunday, Abhay, spokesperson of the Communist Party of India (Maoist) central committee, said the party was not against peace talks with the government. This is the first time in almost four years that the outlawed party is taking the initiative for talks.

In its latest overture, the CPI (Maoist) laid down five conditions for talks. First, the government should accept the Maoist movement as political, the spokesperson said.

Second, the party reiterated its demand of lifting the ban on it and frontal, mass organisations. “The attacks on leaders and activists should stop,” the spokesperson said. Third, the party demanded that the “killers” of Azad, top leader who was negotiating a framework for peace talks in 2010, be booked and punished.

Fourth, the government should stop paramilitary and police aggression against people in rural areas under partial control of the Maoists.

Finally, the statement highlighted the biggest nightmare of the party: “In order to preserve our leadership from the conspiracies of the ruling classes to decimate our party leadership one more time in the name of talks, all veteran comrades in prisons should be released,” Abhay said.