"Govt open for talks, want peace in Bastar at any cost": Chhattisgarh Deputy CM after 29 Naxals killed in Kanker

Raipur (Chhattisgarh) [India], April 17 (ANI): A day after 29 Naxals were killed in an encounter in Kanker, Chhattisgarh Deputy Chief Minister Vijay Sharma said on Wednesday that the "government is open for talks as we want peace in Bastar at any cost."
"All the Naxalites killed in the operation (in Kanker) were hardcore Naxals. A huge amount of arms and ammunition have been recovered from them. Their post-mortem is going on; it may take time.The government is open for talks and discussion, as we want peace in Bastar at any cost," he told ANI.
He further said that the incident has nothing to do with the elections.
"This is not connected with the elections. Earlier, the Naxals used to do something or other to put pressure on officers of the election commission or the common people. But this time, the reverse has happened. We want development work to reach Bastar. Yesterday I met with the injured jawans and they are out of danger. Soon they will recover," the Deputy CM said.
Earlier on Tuesday, Sharma met with injured jawans who were admitted to a private hospital in the state capital, Raipur.
"This operation was done like a surgical strike and 29 Naxals were killed. Some of the Naxals must have been injured and by tomorrow, the number can increase as well. Two jawans--DRGC & CRPF were injured and I had come to meet them. They are out of danger and they will be operated on Wednesday. The government is open to talks (with Naxals) at every level," Sharma had said.
Meanwhile, Bastar Inspector General of Police (IG) P Sundarraj said on Wednesday that 71 naxals have been gunned down till date since January, and the fight against naxals is at the "deciding step."
Addressing a press conference here, Sundarraj said yesterday's encounter in the Binagunda-Koragutta jungles of Kanker district was one of the major breakthroughs in Chhattisgarh on the naxal front.
"Yesterday, an encounter broke out between security forces and Naxalites at 2 pm which lasted for around 4 hours. Teams of DRG and BSF cordoned off the area and as a result, 29 bodies of CPI Maoists were recovered, out of which 15 were female. Arms and ammunition were recovered in large quantities from the spot," he said. (ANI)