Jailed legislator ready to mediate with Maoists

Ranchi, March 9 : Jailed Jharkhand Mukti Morcha (JMM) legislator and former Maoist Polush Surin Tuesday said he was ready to mediate between the government and Maoist guerrillas.

Speaking to IANS on the phone from a jail near here, Surin said: "We have the experience of being Maoists and now we have associated ourselves with the democratic system. We understand the concerns of both sides. We could mediate between the Maoists and the government."

Surin, in jail for two years, faces over a dozen criminal cases. He was the area commander of the Maoist People's Liberation Front of India and was the only former Maoist to win state assembly elections in Jharkhand.

The outlawed Communist Party of India-Maoist has called for negotiations with the government, which says the rebels first need to give up violence.