CPI(M) critical of Congress for supporting Salwa Judum

New Delhi, June 20 (UNI) The Communist party of India (Marxist) today said it regretted that the Congress party in Chhattisgarh was supporting the Salwa Judum, which it called police action in the garb of people's movement against Naxals.

In a statement here, the party said it feels that by supporting the Salwa Judum, the Congress is in fact strengthening the mechanism of the BJP government in the state.

The party demanded withdrawal of the Salwa Judum operation and asked the government to undertake social measures and pro-people policies to help the tribals, which alone, it said, could tackle the Naxalite activities in Chhattisgarh.

''The party is of the view that Salwa Judum operation is a police action and not a people's movement as claimed by the BJP and as a result ordinary tribals becoming victims of depredations of police as well as Naxalites. The conditions in the camps set up by the Chhattisgarh government is so bad that tribals cannot live there,'' the statement said.

UNI/BKS LR KP1622