Bitter experience makes home ministry tread cautiously on Naxal talks

Keeping in mind its bitter experiences, the Union home ministry is treading cautiously on the offer of talks by the Maoists. In the past, most extremist groups have used such ceasefires to regroup.

Officials said many insurgent groups in the Northeast, including the United Liberation Front of Asom (Ulfa), had strengthened themselves whenever the government had agreed to a ceasefire and suspended operations against them.

"The extremists come to talks whenever they face reverses," a senior home ministry official said. "So far, except for Chhattisgarh, the Maoists have not faced any major threat from security forces anywhere. So, we have to proceed carefully."

Even the Naxals, in 2004, took advantage of peace talks initiated by then Andhra Pradesh chief minister YS Rajasekhara Reddy and used the ceasefire period to raise fund and recruit fighters. Eventually, the talks failed and the Naxals returned to the forests.

"We don't want to commit a similar mistake again," the official said. Besides, the home ministry is not sure whether the offer of talks has the nod of the entire top leadership of the Communist Party of India (Maoist).