Kolkata: Difficult terrain, lack of
operations in neighbouring Jharkhand and no consensus among
political parties are the main impediments in securing total
success against Maoists, West Bengal Chief Minister Buddhadeb
Bhattacharjee said tonight.
"After the induction of joint forces we have achieved
area domination, but area domination is one thing and
elimination of Maoists another," he told Bengali TV news
channel.
In an obvious reference to the Trinamool Congress, he
said the opposition unfortunately was not helping in forming a
consensus against Maoists.
"Police reports in the past few months said that TC and
Maoists are holding meetings at Salboni and Garbeta (in West
Midnapore district). Maoists are again active in Nandigram,
Khejuri and Haldia (in East Midnapore district)," he said.
Bhattacharjee said, "if the opposition thinks that CPI-M
can be weakened in this way, then they are inviting a bigger
danger. The Prime Minister has also said that the Maoists are
the biggest threat to the country's internal security."
Referring to 'free movement' of Maoists into the state
from Jharkhand, he said they ran the biggest training camp in
Dalma hills.
Stating that he did not think that the situation had gone
out of control, he said, "Operations against them can't be
conducted in Jharkhand. Let us see what happens after the
assembly elections there are over."
The Chief Minister denied that the administration had
become shaky and gone into coma. "I have to think when common
people are involved. Shall we become a government of lathis or
a responsive government?" he said.
On Nandigram, he asked why such a situation had developed
there even when the state government had announced that it
would not acquire land.
"It was a lesson. In Singur the opposition created a
situation and I was ready to counter it. But those putting up
a factory there stated that they did not want to be an
unwanted guest in the state."
Pointing to Nayachar in East Midnapore district where the
proposed chemical hub was shifted out of Nandigram, he said,
"We are progressing well in setting up industry. It cannot be
said that everything has failed."
On his government's industrialisation efforts, he said a
number of steel plants were being set up, while investments
from Japan and Germany were coming to the state.
The Chief Minister said his government had not received
any proposal from the Railways for setting up a factory on the
site abandoned by the Tatas.
Railway Minister Mamata Banerjee had last week stated
that the Railways were ready for a joint venture with the
state government in setting up a coach factory in Singur.
He regretted that opposition parties were not
cooperating. "They don't want discussion or cooperation. They
want disturbance and instability to continue," he said.
PTI
First Published: Wednesday, November 25, 2009, 23:43