Maoists Express Readiness for Talks

Pani

Some wars are waged when both sides insist that they must push forward despite immense casualties on both sides. In such wars, each party sees its gain. But the battles fought between aggression and self-defence are of a different kind. The war currently unfolding in central India is of this nature. In this conflict, the Indian government is targeting ordinary people. On the surface, it says the fight is against the Maoists. But according to the Maoists, most of those killed–nearly three-fourths–are non-combatant civilians.

The Indian government has launched this war to hand over the natural resources of Central India to corporate companies. It is a war being waged to wipe out the Adivasis living in those areas and turn India into an Adivasi-free country. Although this war has a history of several decades, since January 2024, it has been called Operation Kagar. So far, 400 people have died in this operation. Not only within India but worldwide, voices of opposition are being raised against this human destruction. The violation of Adivasi rights in India has even been discussed at the United Nations.

Since the beginning of Operation Kagar, civil society’s relentless outcry has been to end this war. In a continuation of the democratic concern, demanding an end to this killing spree, a Committee for Peace Talks has been formed in Hyderabad. The committee has proposed that “both the Indian Government and the Maoist Party observe a ceasefire and come forward for peace talks.” With a humane concern that civilian lives should not be lost in this war, the Maoist Party has expressed its willingness for peace talks. Since the war is going on in at least six states, the Central Committee has responded to the civil society’s call. Without considering whether the society’s peace talks might benefit or harm their movement, Maoists have always made positive decisions whenever peace proposals arose. The Central Committee’s statement was issued last month. It highlights the Maoists’ stance on how they value people’s lives. In a one-and-a-half-page statement, they emphasised that the lives of Adivasis are more vital to them than the deaths of their leaders and cadres.

In truth, this is not the first time the Maoist Party has shown readiness for peace talks. In 2002 and again in 2004, peace talks progressed to a certain stage in undivided Andhra Pradesh before they failed. Later, when Mamata came to power in West Bengal, the Maoists responded positively to the idea of talks. In December 2023, the government repeatedly proposed peace talks soon after the BJP came to power in Chhattisgarh. Twice, the Dandakaranya Committee of the Maoist Party expressed its willingness. Since the government appeared ready for talks, the Maoists suggested that a conducive atmosphere for talks should be created–for which the central and state armed forces should be confined to their barracks, and new military camps should not be established. Yet the government did not move an inch. Even while speaking of peace talks, Operation Kagarcontinued unabated.

Now, once again, a Peace Talks Committee has been formed in Hyderabad, proposing peace talks from the side of civil society. This time, the Central Committee of the Maoist Party has responded. They said that people’s interests can be achieved not just through armed struggle but in many other ways. This offer has come from their democratic thinking. Even while in the middle of intense fighting, they are ready for peace talks. It shows the political sagacity of the Maoists. There is an opinion that the Maoists were at a loss because of the peace talks in united Andhra Pradesh. Whatever the analysis, the Maoist party’s approach to peace talks has nothing to do with its strengths, weaknesses, or self-interest. Caught amid lakhs of troops and hundreds of military camps, the lives of Adivasis have become increasingly precarious—reduced to a daily struggle for survival. The party’s Central Committee has now forwarded the Dandakaranya Committee’s proposals to the Chhattisgarh government. In this background, the Maoist Party agreed to the present round of peace talk proposals.

However, this carnage is not limited to Chhattisgarh alone. Though most intense there, the Kagar war is ongoing in Maharashtra (Gadchiroli), Odisha, Jharkhand, Madhya Pradesh, and Telangana. Hence, the Maoists consented to peace talks with those state governments and the Centre. The Maoists have demanded that “the Kagar war being waged against the oppressed people, oppressed communities, and oppressed nationalities of central and eastern India be stopped.”

So, this is not a conflict merely between the Maoists and various state or central governments. It is a confrontation between the Adivasi and oppressed people of East and Central India and the Indian government. The Adivasis of those regions are the guardians of the natural wealth found there, and the Indian Constitution has recognised their existence and political and cultural way of life rooted in self-governance. It has provided them with legal protection. The government, however, has violated this by pursuing the corporatisation of Adivasi regions under the veil of development. The war has erupted as a result of the government’s development model, which is endangering the lives of Adivasis. To end this war, the Maoists have honoured the proposals made by the Peace Talks Committee. They have declared, “We are always ready for peace talks in the people’s interests”.

In this war, the Indian government has not only deployed its armed forces. It is also recruiting Adivasi youth into the same forces and using them to kill other Adivasis–a fact mentioned in the Maoist statement. Additionally, the government has been claiming since last year that hundreds of Maoists have surrendered. But forced surrenders are also part of the government’s repression strategy. There is a real danger that these “surrendered Naxalites” could be used in the war against the people of Dandakaranya. It has created an atmosphere of civil war in the region. Whichever way one looks at it, this situation is severely alarming to the very existence of the people.

In such a situation, the Maoists not only considered the Adivasis but also thought about the interests of the non-Adivasis. Suppose the state and central governments create a conducive environment for peace talks. In that case, these fundamental issues of all communities can be brought to the fore. Since they wish to end this carnage brought about by the rulers’ development model, the Maoists are not limiting their discussion to merely political and economic aspects. They have also spoken about social and cultural concerns within constitutional governance. They stated that the central government is “constitutionally legitimising discrimination against religious minorities,” and they spoke about the protection of the cultural traditions of Adivasi and non-Adivasi peoples, mother tongues, and the environment.

After the Maoists released their statement, the Chhattisgarh government responded. It said it was ready for talks but also insisted that the Maoists must first lay down their arms. Amit Shah, the Union Home Minister, reiterated the same. If the Maoists do that, where is the need for any discussion? The Maoists have come forward with principled and constructive proposals for peace talks.

In contrast, the government has placed a condition that annuls the very need for dialogue. Democratic forces must recognise how absurd this is. It should become a topic of serious public debate. Whatever stand people may have towards Maoist policies, the Maoists have announced a proposal for peace talks that everyone can agree with. Democratic forces must work to make the central and state governments think in this direction. It is not about supporting the Maoists. It is about the people whose interests the Maoists–and all of civic societies–are concerned about.

[Pani is Executive Committee member of Virasam (Revolutionary Writers Association). Translated from Telegu, originally published in the Andhra Jyoti on Apr 08, 2025]

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Vol 57, No. 45, May 4 - 10, 2025