Chidambaram offers to hold peace talks with Maoists

Kishenji was not shot in fake encounter by forces

Emphasising that the government has never encouraged fake encounters despite Maoists indulging in wanton killing over the years, Chidambaram said the  Director General, CRPF and the operational team briefed him personally on Kishenji’s encounter.

The West Bengal  government has set up a CID inquiry into Kishenji’s death, in accordance with the National Human Rights Commission guidelines,  he added.

“Violence does not pay and violence will not pay. The State will not bend before anyone who uses violence as an instrument of policy to achieve political  demands,” he said. “That is why we tell them to suspend violence and come for talks and when you come for talks, you will be treated with dignity and honour. And we can resolve your political demands through talks. It applies to Maoists also,” Chidambaram said at a press conference on a day he completed three years in the ministry.

Manipur bomb blast
The Home Minister replied to questions on the bomb blast in Manipur on Wednesday and the Central Governments’ talks with different insurgents groups in the North-East.
“After consulting chief ministers of the states concerned, within 72 hours we will get back to them to fix the dates and venue for starting talks. But they must suspend violence,” the home minster added.

Speaking on possibilities of  withdrawal of Armed forces Special Powers Act (AFSPA) from   Jammu and Kashmir , the Home Minister said that the state government needs to de-notify areas which have been already notified as disturbed.

Chidambaram denied of any differences with the Unique Identification (UID) authority on who should capture biometrics.  He said the body has been mandated to make  UIDs of up to 200 million  people and thereafter Registrar General would step in.

Three-year tenure
Volleying questions on how he rated his three-year tenure in the Home ministry and whether he felt humiliated after National Democratic Alliance decided to boycott him in the parliament for his alleged role in the allocation of 2 G licenses, the Home Minister said “No, it is all in the eyes of the beholder.”