PW to govt: Let's go someplace quiet

HYDERABAD: The cloister-like environs of Jubilee Hall at Public Gardens may be the venue for the first-ever peace talks between the state government and naxalite groups on October 15.
Though the government had wanted to hold the talks in the Secretariat, naxalite emissaries were averse to the idea of conducting hard talks amid the hustle-bustle of the seat of state power.People''s War (PW) emissaries P Varavara Rao and Gadar, while accepting the October 15 date for talks proposed by home minister K Jana Reddy, suggested Jubilee Hall instead. It is spacious and quiet.
All the same, there will be a crowd, in fact a baker''s two dozen, at the negotiating table. There will be 26 people participating in the peace talks: 9 from the government''s side, led by home minister K Jana Reddy; 5 from the PW comprising three leaders and two emissaries; 4 from Janashakti, two underground leaders and two emissaries; and 8 mediators, a motley bunch of rights activists and academicians including S R Sankaran, K G Kannabhiran, A B K Prasad.
The home minister met chief minister Y S Rajasekhara Reddy on Sunday and obtained his consent for the October 15 date. Though both People''s War and Janashakti had suggested to begin the talks on October 13, the state government did not agree for the date because of the bi-elections.
Varavara Rao said October 15 date would be acceptable to the naxalite parties, but wanted the home minister to ensure that delegates would get a safe passage.