A day after former chief minister N Janardhan Reddy narrowly escaped an attempt on his life, the Andhra Pradesh government said that it was willing to resume talks with Naxalites, but only if they give up arms.

"We are ready to hold talks with Naxalites if they shun violence," Chief Minister Y S Rajashekhar Reddy said in Hyderabad on Saturday.

The Congress government had initiated talks with Maoists in October 2004 and it has been maintaining that dialogue is possible only if they give up weapons.

The chief minister said there was a need to strengthen the police set-up which still had several shortcomings.

"We have to see that the youth is not attracted towards Naxalism," Reddy said after calling on Janardhan Reddy and his wife N Rajyalakshmi, a minister in the state, at their residence. Three persons were killed in the Maoist attack on the former chief minister.