Centre wants unified plan for Naxals

The Centre has decided to adopt a joint strategy across the country to counter Naxalites. This is the first time that the Centre will make s...

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The Centre has decided to adopt a joint strategy across the country to counter Naxalites. This is the first time that the Centre will make such a plea at the upcoming Chief Ministers’ conference and marks a clear shift from the earlier stand.

The Home Ministry had till now maintained that it would support efforts of individual states to deal with Naxalites.

Sources said Union Home Minister Shivraj Patil will take up the issue of a unified strategy at the forthcoming Chief Ministers’ conference in New Delhi.

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It is learnt that Patil is likely to argue that differing strategies make the task of countering extremism difficult. Sources indicated that the unified strategy will be a combination of coordinated ‘‘anti-Naxal operations’’ and talks to bring Naxalites in mainstream politics.

The internal secuirty division of the ministry will also engage Naxalite-affected states such as Andhra Pradesh, before the start of the conference, to ‘‘build a consensus’’.

Ministry and security officials said that the immediate reason for such a move is that ‘‘Left-extremism’’ is assuming the proportion of a well-organised terrorist movement in Andhra Pradesh where Naxalites have

been using landmines and sophisticated explosives. Security forces estimate the ‘‘hardcore fighting cadre’’ of the Naxalites to be between 1,000 and 1,500.

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Since 2003 there has been a surge in Naxal violence. According to statistics, as opposed to only 55 districts in nine states which were declared as Naxal-affected in the year 2003, the figure has risen to 156 districts in 13 states a year later. In 2004, the toll in Naxalite violence touched 520, including 420 civilians.

The worst affected states include Chhattisgarh, Andhra Pradesh and Bihar. Efforts of the Congress-led Andhra Pradesh government to engage the Naxalites in peace talks also failed after an alleged fake encounter by the Andhra police. Security agencies, however, claimed that the Naxalites agreed to the peace talks only to re-group and re-arm themselves.