Left opposes Salwa Judum

NEW DELHI: Suggesting a move that is sure to raise the hackles of the BJP government in Chhattisgarh, the Left parties have asked the UPA Government to put a stop to the Salwa Judum (peace campaign) movement in the state.

Further, they have also asked the Centre to withdraw the Naga and Mizo forces deployed for anti-Naxal operations.

The issue of combating the Naxal problem in Chhattisgarh was a significant but unpublicised theme discussed at the UPA-Left coordination committee meeting on Thursday.

Raised by the Left leaders, there were differences in the way the two sides looked at the issue. Left leaders asked the Centre to put a stop to the Salwa Judum movement, on which both the UPA government at the Centre and the BJP government in the state, are together and flaunt it as people’s spontaneous uprising against naxalism.

In line with the report by Independent Citizens’ Initiative - a team of activists and intellectuals - presented some time back, the Left leaders contended that the state-sponsored and supported Salwa Judum campaign was driving a wedge in the tribal community.

The Left leaders expressed concern at the problem created by the movement and argued that it be stopped.