Telangana CM Revanth Reddy meets senior Congress leader Jana Reddy over peace talks with Maoists

Telangana Chief Minister A Revanth Reddy at the residence of senior Congress leader K Jana Reddy to discuss the peace talks with Maoists. Advisor to Government, K Keshava Rao is also seen.
| Photo Credit: By Arrangement

A day after the Peace Committee members met the Telangana Chief Minister, A Revanth Reddy and sought his intervention for a ceasefire on Operation Kagar, he went to the residence of senior Congress leader K. Jana Reddy on Monday (April 28, 2025) and discussed the issue with him.

Mr. Jana Reddy, as the Home Minister, was the key man who held talks with the then People’s War Group (PWG) (now Maoists) in October 2004 when the Y.S. Rajashekhar Reddy government was in power in the combined Andhra Pradesh. Mr. Jana Reddy led the historic talks on behalf of the State government, and that was the first time when the Naxal leaders appeared in public in response to the government’s offer to hold talks for ensuring peace at the peak of the Naxalite movement.

The Chief Minister had assured the Peace Committee members, who met him at his residence on Sunday, that he would meet Mr. Jana Reddy to discuss the issue. The Committee members, including its convenor Justice Chandrakumar, Prof. Haragopal, Prof. Anwar Khan, Durga Prasad, among others, urged the Chief Minister to discuss the ceasefire with the Union Government.

The Committee’s meeting with the Chief Minister was in the backdrop of several sections pushing for a ceasefire at Karregutta, located on the Telangana-Chhattisgarh border and is in news with the police and the para-military forces surrounding the location where large number of Maoists are hiding right now. Mr. Revanth Reddy responded to their plea stating that the Congress always viewed the Naxals problem not only as a law and order issue but also as a social issue.

Later, in an informal meet with the reporters, the Chief Minister said the party has to discuss the issue in thorough before taking a stand. The government’s position would be spelt later after discussions with the Cabinet colleagues. He said the party high command would be kept in the loop and the Peace Committee’s request would be sent to the senior leadership.

He said Mr. Jana Reddy and K Keshava Rao, adviser (Public Affairs) would look into these aspects and coordinate. He reminded that they both played a key role in the 2004 talks with the People’s War Group in the combined Andhra Pradesh.

Interestingly, Bharat Rashtra Samithi (BRS) chief and former Chief Minister K. Chandrasekhar Rao too made a similar demand for the peace talks at the party’s public meeting in Warangal on Sunday (April 28, 2025). KCR’s unexpected demand from a public forum surprised not only the BRS leaders but also the people.