'Who are you to talk for Maoists?': Chhattisgarh deputy CM Vijay Sharma slams K Chandrasekhar Rao & Telangana leaders' call for talks

RAIPUR: While security forces battle 45-degree heat in the 'decisive' battle against Maoists in Bijapur, politics is heating up as well.
Former Telangana CM and BRS president K Chandrasekhar Rao has urged the Centre to halt the Karegutta Hills operation, alleging that tribals and youth were being killed. Rights activists have also asked the Centre to agree to the Maoists' offer of peace talks and announce a ceasefire.
Chhattisgarh deputy CM and home minister Vijay Sharma has rejected calls for truce and dialogue, wondering why they have woken up all of a sudden.
"Where were these people when innocent villagers and political leaders were being massacred in Bastar? Now that Telangana is feeling the heat, they suddenly want peace?" Sharma said.
He recounted many incidents of Maoist violence - including the Jheeram massacre in which frontline Congress leaders were killed, and the Errabore attack where an 8-month-old infant was burnt alive along with many others.
"Who are they to talk for Maoists? Let the Naxalites talk for themselves. Those who want to talk, they have only issued letters and left. There can't be any pressure. Tell me about the losses caused due to IED blasts and Naxal violence," said Sharma.
The deputy CM emphasized that over 400 Maoists of Bastar have been killed in encounters but the activists didn't' raise any objection. Now that Maoists of Telangana are being killed, , they are objecting, he remarked, asserting that any act of violence would be dealt with decisively.
With forces moving steadily toward Karegutta, the outcome of this decisive battle may be the final nail in the Maoist coffin in India's heartland.