Naxal violence is yet to abate in the worst-affected states of Chhattisgarh, Jharkhand, Bihar and Orissa even as there are reports that Maoists have directed their West Bengal unit to develop guerrilla bases in Jangalmahal, Home Minister P. Chidambaram said on Thursday.
He said Left Wing Extremism was the most violent movement in the country and the CPI (Maoist) the most violent organisation.
“I regret to point out that there is no significant decline in violence in Bihar, Chhattisgarh, Jharkhand, Maharashtra and Orissa. Even in West Bengal, there are reports that the state unit has been instructed by CPI (Maoist) to develop guerrilla bases in Jangalmahal and to intensify conflict,” he said addressing the DGPs and IGPs conference.
“The CPI (Maoist) has added at least four companies to the People’s Liberation Guerrilla Army and its goal remains seizure of power through an armed liberation struggle,” he said.
Chidambaram said he has always maintained that dealing with Left Wing Extremism was a shared responsibility of the Centre and the states.
“Although the number of incidents and the number of casualties seem to indicate a decrease in the level of violence, this is largely attributable to the changed situation in West Bengal,” he said.
The Home Minister asked the Directors General of Police to take ownership of counter insurgency measures and devise short and medium term strategies against Left Wing Extremism.
