Zeenews Bureau
New Delhi: West Bengal Chief Minister Buddhadeb Bhattacharjee met Prime Minister here on Monday and said that the joint anti-naxal operation by central forces and Bengal police will continue.
Talking to media after his meeting with Dr Manmohan Singh, West Bengal Chief Minister termed naxals as “a group of misguided people”. There is no ideology and practically no programme.
Noting that 12 police stations in West Bengal were affected by Maoist violence, Bhattacharjee said the extremists were attacking and killing innocent people, police personnel and government servants "creating serious problems".
The West Bengal Chief Minister stressed on intensifying co-operation with other states, especially Jharkhand, to tackle naxalism problem.
"Without simultaneous operations in Jharkhand, it will be difficult for the (Bengal) police to hold on to the gains," the Chief Minister told a press conference here.
Through the joint operations "we have achieved some gains in the last few months...We are now dominating the areas of West Midnapore, Purulia and Bankura. By dominating, we mean that the police is functioning normally, the administration is functioning almost as usual. But there are sporadic
incidents," the Chief Minister said.
He said the security forces would start operations in other parts of the state, especially those bordering
Jharkhand, where most of the Maoist infrastructure, training camps and strongholds are located.
To a question that the CPI(M) had earlier come to power after a long battle with Naxalites, Bhattacharjee said "at that time it was different. We fought them politically and ideologically. Now it is a new phenomenon. We can't be blamed for the havoc created by the Maoists in Chhattisgarh."
Buddha, however, showed keenness to hold talks but only after they give up arms.
Bhattacharjee's meeting came days after the Prime Minister said talks could be held with the Left extremists if they lay down arms. "This has been my consistent position too from the beginning," the Chief Minister said.
Speaking about arrested Maoist leader Kishanji, Buddha called him a murderer and a liar.
Asking New Delhi to let the Central forces to continue in Bengal, Buddha asked for more security personnel in the state to fight the red terror. West Bengal CM asked for as many as 17 CRPF companies in the fight against naxalites.
Buddha had, on Sunday, met Home Minister P Chidambaram and Finance Minister Pranab Mukherjee where he had also discussed the naxal problem in the state. Today he announced that the Home Ministry supports his government’s action plan against naxalites.
The Cabinet Committee on Security on Thursday approved a
new plan under which coordinated action would be undertaken to
prevent Maoist violence in selected areas and development
activities carried out there on a war-footing.
At these meetings, Bhattacharjee strongly recommended
continuance of the joint operations in his state along with
simultaneous action in Jharkhand, saying the West Bengal
police would not be able to consolidate the gains made against
Maoists in areas like West Midnapore, Purulia and Bankura.
The Chief Minister's meeting was the first after the arrest of Naxalite leader Chhatradhar Mahato.
Mahato, the leader of the People's Committee Against Police Atrocities (PCAPA), which has been spearheading the agitation against alleged police atrocities, was nabbed from the Pirka region, near Lalgarh village.
Mahato was about to give an interview to a journalist when he was apprehended.
Mahato had been giving regular interviews when the paramilitary forces and the state police had launched the anti-Maoist operations in Lalgarh, a place declared as a liberated zone by the Maoists, on June 19 forcing him to go underground for some time.
The tribals under Mahato had a free run for nine months with the police withdrawing from the camps, before the paramilitary troops captured Lalgarh from the Maoists who were fuelling the tribal agitations.
(With ANI inputs)
First Published: Monday, October 12, 2009, 16:17