Don't use military to tackle Maoists: AB Bardhan

The Communist Party of India (CPI)  today said it is against using defence forces to combat naxal elements but made it clear that the party did not approve the violent methods used by Left extremist groups.

"Using army and air force to combat Maoists will set a bad precedent and the collateral disaster of such a course would be serious," CPI general secretary AB Bardhan said.

Speaking at a meet-the-press programme here, he said "we totally dissociate with the political strategies of Maoists. But using army to put them down is not justified. Instead, police and paramilitary forces should be used."

Stating that his own partymen were often victims of Naxal violence in areas like Bastar in Chhattisgarh, he said the extremists should be fought politically and a "socio-economic dimension" should be evolved to solve the issues faced by people in naxal-affected areas.

Bardhan also said that the Maoists were actually giving an excuse to the government to "unleash state-sponsored violence against people."

Admitting that there was also a failure on the part of mainstream Left in tackling issues of most backward areas, he said there was still scope in Indian parliamentary system to address these problems in a democratic manner.