Shillong: The Centre is ready to hold talks with all insurgent groups, including Kashmir outfits, if those eschew violence, the Union Minister of State for Home, I D Swamy said on February 13.

''The government is always ready to hold talks with all insurgent groups, including those operating in Jammu and Kashmir, provided they abjure violence,'' Swamy told reporters.

He said the Centre had already initiated secretary level talks with the Khaplang faction of the National Socialist Council of Nagalim (NSCN) in Nagaland.

Referring to Nagaland Chief Minister S C Jamir's allegation that Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) was hand in glove with insurgents, Swamy said, "Everybody knows who is with whom".

He referred to the speech of former West Bengal Chief Minister Jyoti Basu about Tripura's insurgency and claimed Basu had said in his speech that it was Congress who always "indulged" the undergrounds.

PTI