Raipur, Oct 27: Chhattisgarh government today offered unconditional talks with Naxalites, saying the ultras were active in about 40 per cent of the state. "We are ready for talks with Naxalites without any pre-condition," Chhattisgarh Home Minister Nand Kumar Patel told reporters here today. "There is always an environment for talk but whenever anystep is taken for that, the ultras put forward conditions,"Patel said. About 40 per cent of the geographical area of the state was infested with Naxalites and both PWG and MCC were active in the state but the central Intelligence Bureau (IB) had not provided the state with any information whether they had links among themselves or with maoists of Nepal or ISI of Pakistan, he said. To a question, Patel said "ultimately the BJP-led Government at the Centre also felt that POTA was a mistake and they decided to dilute that". The existing laws were enough to maintain law and order and because of that no Congress-ruled state has enforced POTA, he said.

Bureau Report