Rajnath Singh exhorts, Naxals will have to shun violence

Major offensive against Left Wing Extremism lined up in Chhattisgarh; 73 of 150 planned mobile towers already up in Bastar

Union Home Minister Rajnath Singh today offered table for truce talks with outlawed Naxalites but warned at the same time that the rebels had to finally shun the gun.

“I have said that the Naxals have to leave violence and if they fail to abide, they (rebels) will be forced to shun the gun,” Singh said after a high-level meeting held here Saturday afternoon to review the on-going operation against Left Wing Extremism (LWE). "There is no place of violence in the democracy," he added.

The meeting was attended by top brass of the para-military and state forces engaged in the anti-Naxal operation in Chhattisgarh besides the top officials of the state government. Singh reviewed the progress of the on-going infrastructure development works in the red zone. “With the support of people, the government would tackle the Naxals by using force and executing infrastructure development projects,” Singh said.

Unconfirmed reports said that strategy had been drawn for a major offensive against the Naxalites during the summer months. “The Centre is committed to provide all possible assistance to the states dealing with the Naxal problem,” he said, adding that the morale of the security forces combating the rebels was high and the jawans were performing their duty with honesty.

The expansion of mobile towers in the Naxal-infested pockets was discussed during the meeting. The officials informed that 73 towers had been installed in Bastar and work was in progress for the others. The state government had planned to erect about 150 towers in Bastar region, the centre of LWE in the country. Singh said the home ministry would send a proposal to the telecommunication department to extend the frequency for installing more towers.