No contact, CM renews appeal

BHUBANESWAR: Amidst reports of one of the captives, Caludio Colangelo, falling sick, yet another day passed by with no sign of negotiation process taking off for the release of two Italians. The Government on Wednesday accepted Dr B D Sharma as the second interlocutor and contacted him, but confusion prevailed over the third name, thereby stalling the negotiation process. Sharma, a former IAS officer who has worked extensively in the tribal areas for the rights of the indigenous people, is expected here on Thursday. Dandapani Mohanty is the other interlocutor. Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik told the Assembly that the Government has accepted Sharma as the second interlocutor and contacted him. For better part of the day, Sharma remained inaccessible since he does not carry a mobile phone and was in Jaipur. Naveen renewed his appeal to the Maoists seeking release of the hostages. On Wednesday, he was contacted by the Italian Ambassador, who expressed his concern over the health and safety of the two captives. Naveen said the Government is waiting for the third interlocutor to be suggested by the rebel groups. Even as refusal by civil rights activist Biswapriya Kanungo and Prafulla Samantaray to take part in the negotiation marred the process, the inability of CPI(Maoist) to come up with a third name further delayed it. To compound the already existing confusion, Mohanty suggested names of two jailed politburo members __ Kobad Ghandy and Amit Bagchi __ to have  direct talks with the Maoists. “People like Sharma and me are not members of the Maoist Party and hence cannot directly talk on their behalf. I think the Government should try and get any of the three __ Narayan Sanyal, Kobad Ghandy or Amit Bagchi __ who can hold direct negotiations,” he claimed. While Ghandy is in Tihar Jail, Bagchi has been lodged in Visakhapatnam. Sanyal (76) is in Giridih Jail of Jharkhand. But there was no response from the captors although Mohanty seemed to suggest that he was asked to name them. “If the Government could get Ganti Prasadam, who was in a jail in Andhra Pradesh, last year for the negotiation, why cannot any of these three be brought to the Special Jail in Bhubaneswar,” he asked.