Devp and Police action to combat naxalism: Chidambaram

     New Delhi, August 17, 2009: Union Home Minister P Chidambaram today called upon the Maoists-hit states to adopt the strategy of development and police action to combat the naxal menace.

     Chidambaram in his opening remark at the Conference of Chief Ministers on Internal Security opened here today, which was attended among others by Chhattisgarh Chief Minister Dr Raman Singh, said there were three challenges to the internal security of the country.

      Terrorism, Insurgency in the North Eastern states and Left Wing Extremism or Naxalism are the three challenges to the internal security and each one of them shares many characteristics with the other two whereas there was only one instrument to confront and defeat the three and that was the police, he said.

     The Union Home Minister said in the recent past the CPI (Maoist) had stepped up its attacks on government forces and the people. The naxalites are also anti-development and have targetted the very instruments of development – school buildings, roads, telephone towers, as they knew that development would wean the masses and especially the poor tribals away from the grip of the naxalites, he added.

     “Our response therefore will be police action to wrest control of territory that is now dominated by the naxalites, restoration of civil administration and undertaking developmental activities – in that order,” he said.

     “Meanwhile, we will encourage State Governments to talk to the naxalites – both individuals and local units – on condition that they give up their misconceived armed liberation struggle.  Let our message to the naxalites be this:  we will talk; we will act; we will restore order; and we will undertake developmental activities,” Chidambaram said.