There was no need for a national policy to tackle the naxalite problem, union home minister P Chidambaram said on Saturday.
There was no need for a national policy to tackle the naxalite problem, union home minister P Chidambaram said on Saturday.
"I don't think we must have a national policy because there are differences in the policy of one state and another depending on local conditions," Chidambaram told a press conference here.
"All I say is that there is a rise in extremism. We have evolved a clear and coherent policy and I am visiting the states to ensure that the policy, direction and approach is clearly understood by the state governments," he said.
Asserting that there was no place for ultra-left extremism, he said no banned organisation would be allowed to resort to indiscriminate killing.
Speaking about Jharkhand, he said "18 (of the 24) districts and 145 police station areas are affected with the naxal menace. Therefore, this challenge of naxalism must be squarely met and defeated," he said.
To combat this, he said, the state should raise ten more Jaguar assault groups, two more India Reserve battalions, one more Ex-serviceman battalion and a Cobra battalion.
He said there should be recruitment of 6000 personnel to the constabulary, 1562 vacancies in the state special branch filled up and police stations set up in blocks where there were none.
Chidambaram urged Governor Syed Sibtey Razi to allot plots for construction of a headquarters for the CRPF and a Cobra battalion by the central government in the state.
Chidambaram also said he would talk to the West Bengal government for inter-state joint operations against naxalites.
"West Bengal does not agree with the hot pursuit policy. So it conducts its operation in its territory and Jharkhand conducts operations in its own area, which cannot be called a joint operation. But I have taken up the matter and will peak to the West Bengal government," he said.
Joint operations, on the other hand were being carried out by the Jharkhand police along with Orissa and Bihar.
"One gets the impression that in 2008 the security forces seemed to gain a slight upper hand, but the challenge of naxalism is not yet over. In fact, it will not be over in one week or one month or even one year. It will take time, it is a long and hard struggle," he said.
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