Puducherry: Calling his resignation episode a closed chapter, Home Minister P Chidambaram on Saturday said he decided to quit because the CRPF came under his charge but that does not mean state governments have no role in tackling the Maoists.
"The resignation was indeed tendered. The Prime Minister
has rejected it. The matter is a closed chapter," he told
reporters declining to talk further on the issue.
Chidambaram said in the horrific tragedy in Dantewada in
Chhattisgarh hit the CRPF whose 74 personnel were killed. "It
(CRPF) is under my charge. This tragedy has happened under my
watch.
"Therefore, I said the buck stops at my desk. It does
not mean that the state governments have no role. They have a
role, they acknowledge it, recognise and according to me, all
the state governments are fully aware of this responsibility."
When a journalist told him that his score card has been
neat in the Ministry and whether Dantewada attack was a blot
on it, he said "any attack is indeed a blot".
The Home Minister said it was an intra-Chhattisgarh
operation and not an inter-state operation. The exercise was
planned by the State Inspector General of Police and DIG and
DIG of CRPF.
It was conveyed to the Police Headquarters and they were
aware of the exercise, he said adding "but something went
wrong. Something went very badly wrong".
He said precious lives were lost and the government has
appointed an inquiry committee to go into it. "Let the report
of the inquiry committee come and we will take corrective
action."
Asked about the role of the Centre in anti-naxal
operations, the Home Minister said the Central government's
role, according to the mandate given to the Ministry of Home
Affairs, is to provide paramilitary forces to state
governments to help them carry out anti-naxal operations to
regain control over the area where the Naxals are dominating
and to restore civil administration for development.
"I have said this many times and I have said this three
days ago in Jagdalpur (in Chhattisgarh) that this is our role
and state governments have an important role to play.
"I think all the Chief Ministers recognise that they have
an important role to play," he said.
PTI
First Published: Saturday, April 10, 2010, 16:11