The Hindu : Andhra Pradesh News : ‘Maoists glued to Bastar for tendu leaf money’

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Friday, Mar 21, 2008
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Andhra Pradesh

Andhra Pradesh

‘Maoists glued to Bastar for tendu leaf money’

Staff Reporter

Joint operation by police personnel of states mooted

BHADRACHALAM: Salva Judum leader and person incharge of the base camp at Konta, P. Vijay, on Thursday said that the Darelli encounter was a major blow to the Maoists who were out to strengthen their base of operations in the Bastar forests. He was among the Salva Judum leaders who visited the bodies as they were retrieved from the jungle. Talking to mediapersons he said tendu leaf was the major attraction for the Maoists in the Bastar forest. They collected more than Rs100 crores from the tendu leaf operations every year. Hence it would be difficult to drive them out of this jungle.

He said that it could be an uphill task for the police of any single state to combat the Maoists. Joint operations by the police of all the states facing the menace were desired at this moment, he said. The encounter was first major victory for the police in the region. It could be viewed as a victory for the Salva Judum as well. The police in Chhattisgarh were better equipped and well prepared now to face the naxalite onslaught. The support of the AP police across the inter state boarder would make their task much easier.

He said that the Maoists had been using the funds raised from tendu leaf trade for procuring sophisticated weapons. The poor communication system in south Bastar districts had become an added advantage for them. But unlike other states, the people in Chhatttisgarh were prepared to take on the Maoists. The Salva judum movement could sustain the campaign against the Maoist because of the support it enjoyed at the grass roots level.

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