The Hindu : National : Manmohan: stem flow of funds to naxals

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Friday, Dec 21, 2007
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Manmohan: stem flow of funds to naxals

Special Correspondent

“States need to consider joint operations”
“Wean youth away from naxal ideologies”

NEW DELHI: Prime Minister Manmohan Singh on Thursday sought to know from Chief Ministers steps that could be taken to reduce the funds flow to naxal groups. Essential economic infrastructure should be protected and the tempo of development activities increased so that naxal groups were not in a position to derail the processes of development, he said.

Addressing the Chief Ministers’ conference on internal security here, Dr. Singh said: “Terrorists are able to use a wide range of materials and are able to organise coordinated strikes. They are able to network across States and even international boundaries. Intelligence agencies warn of further intensification of violent activities by terrorist groups,” he warned.

“We also need to wean away the youth from naxal ideologies. I am told that a coordinated effort has begun in eight districts in four States. This is only a beginning. We need such a response across the entire affected area,” he said.

Expressing concern that naxal groups had, over the last year, launched frontal attacks on police forces and establishments, Dr. Singh said they were targeting vital economic infrastructure so as to cripple transport and logistics capabilities and slow down development activity. “This helps them sustain their ideology of deprivation and neglect. They even managed to eliminate some important political leaders and their associates in some States.”

Referring to the recent jailbreak in Chhattisgarh, Dr. Singh said it was not an isolated incident. “Not a day passes without an incident of Left wing extremism taking place somewhere.” There were only three staff members in the Dantewada prison where the jailbreak took place. “Inadequate, ill-equipped, ill-trained, poorly motivated personnel cannot take on the naxal extremists who are increasingly better equipped and organised,” he said.

Cautioning against consolidation of various naxal groups who were equipped with better strike capabilities and coordination, Dr. Singh said notions of a “red corridor” from Nepal to Andhra Pradesh were exaggerated.

However, he admitted that naxal groups had achieved some success in enlarging their areas of militancy.

Advocating a coordinated response to the challenge of left-wing extremism, he said the answers to the problem were well known.

“We need to cripple the hold of naxalite forces with all the means at our command. This requires improved intelligence gathering capabilities, improved policing capabilities, better coordination between the Centre and the States.”

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