New Delhi: Holding successive governments
both at the Centre and in the states responsible for spread of
Naxalism, Rural Development Minister Jairam Ramesh on Tuesday said
India's polity should put aside political differences and work
"concertedly" to restore people's faith in the administration.
"Simply put, we need to rise above partisan political
considerations and set aside old centre-vs-state arguments and
work concertedly to restore people's faith in the
administration...only then will the tide of Naxalism be
stemmed," he said.
Delivering the Sardar Patel Memorial Lecture here, Ramesh
said it was not the Naxals who have created the ground
conditions ripe for acceptance of their ideology.
"It is the singular failure of successive governments
both in states and central governments to protect the dignity
and constitutional rights of the poor and the disadvantaged
that has created a fertile breeding ground for violence and
given the Naxals the space to speak the language of social
welfare".
However, in the name of welfare, Ramesh said, Naxals have
created guerrilla bases and recruited "most tragically women
and children in large number".
Pointing out that Naxal cadres have been able to get a
foothold by giving "instant justice" to displaced tribals, he
proposed the setting up of 'para-legal assistance centres' in
all left wing extremism-affected districts which could work on
cases of land alienation and restore of lands to rightful
owners.
"It is the one single initiative of both the Centre and
the states that can immediately help resolve the problem of
mistrust, alienation, deprivation... it has to do with
restoration of land," he said.
Later talking to reporters, Rai said he wrote a letter
to PAC chairman Murli Manohar Joshi that he is willing to
appear before the parliamentary body and explain the method of
2G auditing.
He however refused to comment on a letter written by
Reliance Industries Limited to PAC alleging that CAG has not
taken its (RIL) views into consideration while preparing the
report that criticised the company for violation of contract
for the showpiece KG-D6 block.
"I do not want to comment on any of our audit reports
that we presented. We will follow it though in the PAC," Rai
said.
PTI
First Published: Tuesday, October 11, 2011, 23:46