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| UPDATE:Meeting of CMs of Naxal-hit states next month: Chidambaram |
| Press Trust of India / New Delhi Jul 07, 2009, 13:13 IST |
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A meeting of chief ministers of Naxal-hit states will be held next month to discuss the menace which has assumed alarming proportions in some states.
The meeting will discuss threadbare the Maoist problem and finetune plans to tackle the threat posed by the Naxals to internal security, Home Minister P Chidambaram said replying to supplementaries in the Lok Sabha today.
The Home Minister also asked the Chief Ministers of the affected states to renew their appeal to the Naxal leaders to lay down arms and come to the negotiating table.
The appeal came at the suggestion of SP leader Mulayam Singh Yadav, who claimed that he had successfully resolved the problem in some districts in Uttar Pradesh through talks.
The chief ministers will be briefed about the plans drawn up to tackle the Naxal menace, Chidambaram said admitting that the problem has become "intense and grave" in the last two months.
The plans have been prepared in close consultations with the state governments and some strategies, already being used in some states, have been integrated.
Chidambaram said there was no concrete evidence about Naxals getting funds from foreign countries.
The Naxals are able to collect money from within the country using illegal means like looting banks and armouries, and also from tribals who support them, he said.
Chidambaram said the Centre has allocated Rs 1250 crore to the states for modernisation of the police forces.
Chidambaram said the states are not fully prepared yet to tackle the menace and the Centre would extend them all possible help in tackling Naxalism.
He said the government was following a two-pronged strategy in dealing with Naxalism — clear and hold areas occupied by Naxalites, and carry out development works later.
Replying to a question by Trinamool Congress member Sudip Bandopadhyay, the minister said he had advised West Bengal Chief Minister Buddhadeb Bhattacharya to consider declaring the CPI (Maoist) as an unlawful association under the Criminal Law (Amendment) Act, which in popular parlance means a 'ban'.
Bhattacharya had said he would "think about it", Chidambaram said.
He said 1,509 incidents of Naxal violence were reported in 2006, 1,565 incidents in 2007, 1,591 in 2008 and 1,128 this year till June 30.
In a written reply to another question, Chidambaram said the Centre was supplementing the efforts of the state government to modernise the police forces through various schemes to augment infrastructure, including construction of residential and non-residential buildings, acquiring modern weaponry, equipment for communication and strengthening intelligence branches.
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