Centre, States should jointly fight Maoists, says Brinda

NATION

Centre, States should jointly fight Maoists, says Brinda

Vijay Deo Jha


Monday, April 12, 2010


CPI(M) Politburo member Brinda Karat said here on Sunday that the fight against Maoists was a collective responsibility of the Centre and States.

But then she mildly pricked the wounds and PC’s proposed resignation over the massacre of 75 CRPF jawans by Maoist at Sukma in South Bastar. “Such things (uproar over the resignation of PC) are bound to happen since PC has been in the habit of alleging and passing the bucks on others,” she said.

Karat said this in the backdrop of PC’s comment on the West Bengal Chief Minister during his Lalgarh visit in the first week of April where the Home Minister had said that “the buck stops at the Chief Minister’s table when it comes to Naxal violence.”

PC was angrily criticised by Bhattacharjee and Basudeb Acharia for use of ‘slang’ like buck.

Stating that Naxalism is no more a State issue after it has spread its tentacles in other States, Karat advised PC to take the State Governments into confidence to weed out the red ultras. “States like Bihar and Jharkhand should be taken in confidence…we need to be unanimous,” she said.

Karat refused to believe in the theory of the so called sympathisers that Maoists were camping in forests to do welfare of the tribals. “No, they have made their base in the forests because it is geographically and strategically safe for them,” she said.

But she was quite concerned over Maoists drawing political support for their bloody battle. “Some political parties are supporting Maoists and getting their supports,” she said. Karat was probably echoing her West Bengal counterpart who had obliquely referred Union Railway Minister Mamta Banerjee and her party Trinamool Congress were hand in glove with the Maoists.