The Home Minister, Mr P. Chidambaram, on Wednesday said the Centre was open to talks with Maoists provided they suspend violence. In terms of violence, Left Wing Extremism is a greater challenge than terrorism, he said.
"We are not asking them (Naxalites) to surrender, lay down arms or disband the PLA. Neither are we asking them to give up their ideologies. We are just asking them to suspend violence and come for talks," Mr. Chidambaram said.
According to the Home Minister, in terms of violence LWE poses a greater challenge than terrorism. Ten times more lives are lost in LWE attacks compared to terrorism.