Senior home ministry officials who interacted with Chidambaram after his return from Chhattisgarh, said he appeared disturbed, mainly due to the high number of casualties.
Home minister P Chidambaram’s advice of April 4 to West Bengal chief minister Buddhadeb Bhattacharjee came back to haunt him on Friday. He had to depend on the same phrase to convey to the country that he had offered to resign owning responsibility for the Dantewada massacre.
Chidambaram’s disclosure at a Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) function created a flutter in the capital. “I have been asked directly or indirectly where the buck stops for what happened in Dantewada. I have no hesitation in saying that the buck stops at my desk,” the home minister said, to the utter surprise of the gathering.
Immediately after coming back from Chhattisgarh, he had met prime minister Manmohan Singh and given it in writing that he accepted full responsibility for what had happened, Chidambaram said on Friday, before adding,“I think I will stop here.”
In a chat with mediapersons later, the minister refused to elaborate on his statement, merely saying, “I will not say anything on this subject. But you are free to report anything.”
Senior home ministry officials who interacted with Chidambaram after his return from Chhattisgarh, said he appeared disturbed, mainly due to the high number of casualties.
Ostensibly, the Dantewada massacre was one where the highest number of security personnel had been killed in a single attack after Independence, officials said.
A spokesperson at the prime minister’s office said the home minister had indeed resigned, but the PM had rejected his offer. There were reports that Chidambaram had sent a similar letter to Congress president Sonia Gandhi.
Chidambaram refuted reports that CRPF jawans were not well-equipped or trained. “Much has been written in the last few days. Some of it has pleased me, some of it has pained me,” he said.
“Today, as I speak to you, out of the 186 executive battalions (of CRPF), 186 companies are under training.”
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