A day after Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Digvijay Singh’s call for unconditional talks with Naxalite groups, neighbouring Chhattisgarh followed suit by inviting rebel groups to the table.‘‘Violence has no place in democracy. It cannot be an answer to any problem. So, we are ready to hold talks with the Naxalites and bring them back to the mainstream,’’ CM Ajit Jogi said late in the evening. He was on a day’s tour to Naxalite-infested Dantewara district. In the past two years, over 120 persons, including 51 policemen, have died in Naxalite attacks in Chhattisgarh.Jogi said his government was open for meaningful dialogue with the rebels, ‘‘but so long as the Naxalities did not stop violence, the government will not hold any talks’’.This is the second time when the Chief Minister has taken the initiative to invite both banned outfits — the People’s War Group and the Maoist Communist Centre — for talks.Last year, Jogi had asked his Andhra Pradesh counterpart to include Chhattisgarh in talks when the latter opened dialogue with the People’s War Group.During today’s trip, Jogi attended four official programmes, including a mass marriage of 2,000 Adivasis at Bijapur, defying a Naxalite threat. ‘‘A 25,000 strong crowd at the mass marriage and a large turnout at other places, during my tour is a positive sign. People seem to have decided to side with the government and face the Naxalities head on. This is a big achievement,’’ Jogi said. He claimed that the deployment of the CRPF personnel in the Bastar region has come as a huge morale booster for the people.
