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Improve morale of policemen: Naveen

Special Correspondent

BHUBANESWAR: As Opposition legislators in the Assembly demanded his resignation over last week’s naxalite strike on Thursday, Orissa Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik asked them to rise above narrow considerations and improve the morale of the policemen tackling the menace.

Replying to a discussion on the law and order situation in the aftermath of the attack on the night of February 15, Mr. Patnaik said it was the first time that a counter-attack of this magnitude had been launched so soon after a major strike. The Chief Minister thanked Union Home Minister Shivraj Patil for his prompt action in sending additional companies of para-military forces to join the operation.

In an attempt to prove that the situation was still better in Orissa, Mr. Patnaik said the naxalite violence profile in the State was much less compared to the neighbouring Chhattisgarh, Jharkhand, Andhra Pradesh and Bihar.

“Extremism may have started many decades ago as an ideology for the poor. It has now been overtaken by terrorism, mafia behaviour and its leaders and cadres have been indulging in heinous acts of extortion, drug trade, murder and rape,” Mr. Patnaik said taking a serious dig at the Maoists.

Although the ongoing operation had not led to the arrest of any Maoist during the past few days, Mr. Patnaik said of the two extremists arrested a day after the arms loot, one was an ‘area commander.’

On the charge that his government did not act upon the warnings from the Central government about a possible strike, Mr. Patnaik said the input did not specify Nayagarh.

To the argument that naxalism was growing due to the high incidence of poverty and unemployment, he said the government had initiated many anti-poverty schemes and also tried to solve the problems of the tribal people.

Various measures had been taken to take the district administration close to the people.

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