Volume 3, No. 9, September 2002

Chandrababu government has never been in favour of talks with us. It always indulged in double speak. It came down to talks, as a ritual, only to avoid the pressure from people and democrats and all along acted with an aim to pull the curtains down on the talks on some or other pretext. The government has never respected the suggestions and requests of the Committee of Concerned Citizens that both the government and our party should announce cease-fire, implement it and continue talks. There was no change in the belligerent attitude of the government even as we declared cease-fire twice and sincerely followed it. It welcomed the talks with fake encounter killings There have been unabated fake encounter killings during the entire first phase of talks as our representatives — Varavara Rao and Gaddar — had three rounds of discussions with the government representatives — Vijayarama Rao and Tammineni Seetharam — on June 5, 9 and 20 Our representatives had continued protesting these killings The Committee of Concerned Citizens, Peace initiative committee, newspapers and television channels have condemned the killing spree, strongly censured the highhandedness of police and exposed the lack of sincerity towards talks on the part of Chandrababu’s government.

In the meeting on June 20,our party had directly placed a note before the government representatives. In that note, we demanded that at least in the crucial second phase the government should announce cease-fire. Even then there was no change in the indifferent attitude of the government. More over, it behaved in a much more tyrannical way.

In the background of talks there was a great deluge of democratic response in the state. Chandrababu government was scared to see this immense public response in favour of peace and democracy. The government felt more annoyed as the talks were becoming the forum for this public response. All this response blew up the Chandrababu government’s venomous propaganda against us that we were interested in indiscriminate violence rather than people’s opinions and aspirations. Peace and democracy have become a mirage in the desert created by Chandrababu’s rule. That’s why people and democrats saw this process of talks as an oasis.

Babu’s despotic regime could not bear the strengthening of democratic forces at all in the state on the basis of talks. That’s why the government worked with an objective to scuttle the process of talks. Even then we adhered to patience and restraint. As a result, we contributed to the successful completion of the first phase in spite of the government’s stubborn attitude. Our restraint was appreciated and complimented by all democrats including tie CCC and the PIC as well as people.

We have been clearly watching the government’s doublespeak attitude and provocative and disruptive actions with regard to the process of talks. It became clear to us that Chandrababu would no longer allow the process of talks go ahead. Even then, since the people’s democratic response has come out openly in such an unprecedented manner, we prepared ourselves for the crucial second phase of talks with the only desire to reward the response. However, we warned in the note given to the government delegation that "we might have to reconsider our decision on talks" if there was no change in repressive attitude of the government. The government not only not respected our suggestion and warning but also indulged in unleashed activity.

Fake encounter killings of our comrades have multiplied with a false propaganda of "extortions". In the last ten days duration, ten of our comrades were killed in five encounters at Mamillavai in Khammam district, Nerella in Karimnagar district, Salwapur and Chityal in Warangal district and Veldurthi in Guntur district. The statements of DGP Ramulu justifying these murders demonstrate the fact that this state is witnessing a police raj rather than a civil rule. Even the chief minister Chandrababu is speaking in a police language that surpasses the DGP. He is roaring that "we would not tolerate if Naxalites gets strengthened under the cover of talks." Yes, it is undeniably a symbol of our strength if our party is recognised as a party that represents the aspirations of people and democrats. That is the fact that frightens and dispirits Chandrababu. We cannot deny that. But what is wrong if we become stronger in this way? Who is getting into trouble and how? We ask Chandrababu to answer these questions.

The chief minister Chandrababu screamed that ours were "extravagant demands" but he did not have enough patience to at least find out what were our demands. We never put forth any extravagant demands like "abolish private property" or "implement socialism" like Chandrababu asking us to give up arms and drown ourselves in the morass of fake elections (isn’t this called mainstream!). In fact, we demand what has become the immediate necessity for people in the state. Today there is a scarcity of peace and democracy in the state

The government has let loose most brutal repression on people to crush the movements of our party which have been going on with the support of people. People are being helplessly subjected to the ever-increasing state terror. All the villages in the regions of our movement are being trampled under the police guns. As if the police, notorious as the legal goons, are not enough, the government is not only encouraging various mercenary gangs like Nalladandu and Green Tigers but also fostering them. Using these mercenaries the government is getting civil liberties leaders, revolutionary writers and cultural activists, who cannot be described as underground guerilla fighters, assassinated. The assassinations of Dr Ramanatham, Lakshma Reddy to Purushottham and Azam Ali, and the attempt on Gaddar’s life are only a few examples of this phenomenon.

On the other hand the Chand-rababu government is attacking people in the garb of "reforms" and tying the state to the World Bank juggernaut. Thousands of industrial units were closed down and lakhs of workers have lost jobs and joined unemployed army. Thousands of government employees were retrenched. Till yesterday there were the suicides of cotton and tobacco farmers, but today all the farmers including sugarcane, jowar, chilly and groundnut growers, are finding no alternative than committing suicide.

Attacks on dalits and adivasis are growing by the day. Atrocities and killing of women are on the rise. If the people suffering from these daily problems resort to any small agitation, they are suppressed by police lathis and bullets. The protests and agitations by the Opposition parties within and outside the Assembly are being dissipated. The state is being crushed under the road roller regime of Chandrababu. There is a chaotic situation in economic, political and social spheres in the state.

In these circumstances, peace and democracy have become scarce in the state and revival of peace and democracy has become the major problem of the people. That’s why we have come down for talks with the only objective of achieving peace and democracy. We asked the government to stop repression not only on our party’s struggles but also on all the people’s democratic movements. To that extent we promised to contain the resistance counter violence from our side.

We have not taken the talks as a wicked tactic as Chandrababu government did. We have shown, and implemented principled attitude towards the talks with sincerity and commitment. We exposed the viciousness of Chandrababu in pulling down curtains on the talks and we were ready to sacrifice blood in the process of taking the talks ahead. Chief minister, home minister and DGP might be complimenting themselves as their policy of indulging in fake encounter killings everyday on one hand and repeatedly announcing that "we are ready for talks" as an exhibition of their over smart attitude. But people, democrats and intelligentsia are seriously disgusted with this repulsive behaviour and despising them more than ever.

We are not willing to compete with Chandrababu in viciousness and deception. We would not like to stoop down to such levels. We cannot afford to breach the respect and confidence bestowed on us by people and democrats. We cannot ignore our respect and commitment towards people, democratic values and principles. That’s why we have adopted necessary patience and restraint in a sincere and committed fashion. But the government’s response is not only not turning to be positive, but also going down into more and more negative and antagonistic. It would neither be possible nor proper to follow patience and restraint even now.

Therefore, we are herewith withdrawing our cease-fire.

However, this is in no way a defeat for us. People and democrats also need not take this as a setback or an affront. The process of talks launched for peace and democracy was abandoned by anti-people Chandrababu government and his police forces at the altar of fake encounter killings! The real face of Chandrababu government — a ruthless dictatorship — that goes on under the garb of democracy and people’s welfare with propaganda machine stands thoroughly exposed. This is a considerable victory for us, all the people who helped us and all the democrats.

Aspiring to reestablish peace and democracy in the state, the Committee of Concerned Citizens, has done commendable effort to make the talks between our party and the government possible. Since last December, all the opposition parties including BJP, the ally of the ruling TDP, have put up a lot of pressure on the government to go for talks with us. The process of talks gained momentum with the appeal of the CCC in January asking both the government and us to prepare for unconditional talks. We respected their appeal and announced our willingness for unconditional talks and announced cease-fire. All these were unilateral! With this, all the democratic forces and individuals in the state extended their help to us with the good intention of making the process of talks fair and successful. Several journalists and intellectuals have actively participated in this democratic process. The newspapers and television channels have played a very positive role during the talks. Similarly the efforts made by various democratic forces on the forum of Peace Initiative Committee for the successful conduct of the talks is highly commendable. We express our deep gratitude to each of these organisations and individuals.

As we already noted, we consider this as a victory in exposing the real face of the dictatorial Chandrababu government. We appeal to all the people and democratic forces in the state to display the same spirit and wage a united and strong people’s movement against the Chandrababu government’s autocratic and anti-people regime. We request that a people’s democratic movement should be built to force Chandrababu government come down to talks with us in a principled manner. In building such a movement, we assure that our party would always stand by the democratic forces in the state. We want to make it clear that we will be ready for talks at any point of time, if conducive atmosphere is created and the government also announces and abides by cease-fire like us, as a result of such a movement.

 Ramakrishna

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