India says no talks with Maoist rebels

The Indian government has ruled out peace talks with Maoist rebels who killed 24 governing party members in a daring attack over the weekend in an eastern state. It says the rebels are not interested in the democratic process.

Indian Junior Home Minister C.P.N. Singh says the government had in the past offered to hold talks with the insurgents, but no one came forward.

Singh told CNN-IBN television news channel on Tuesday that the rebels are not interested in talking to the government.

The rebels, known as Naxalites, have been fighting the central government for more than four decades, demanding land and jobs for tenant farmers and the poor.