Nambala Keshav Rao alias Basavaraju, the powerful general secretary of Communist Party of India-Maoist killed in an encounter along with 26 others on Wednesday, had masterminded several major attacks on security forces in Chhattisgarh and his death is a big blow to the armed movement, said officials.
The Andhra Pradesh government appears to be unwilling for engaging in talks with Communist Party of India (Maoist), even as the general secretary of the banned outfit Muppala Lakshmana Rao alias Ganapathy said his group is ready for a dialogue with the Andhra Chief Minister K Rosaiah's administration, but with certain pre-conditions.
Besides weakening the Maoists' lethal capacities and reducing violence, it is essential to ensure that governance is improved, so that those prone to sympathising with, or supporting, the Maoists would, in the long run, realise the needlessness and futility of doing so, says P V Ramana and Raj Bala Rana.