Raman locks horn with Patil on naxal issue

Raipur, May 16 (UNI) Chhattisgarh Chief Minister Dr Raman Singh has locked horns with Union Home Minister Shivraj Patil on the naxal issue saying the Centre should specify on which issue the state government's consent was awaited.

Reacting to Mr Patil's statement in the Lok Sabha yesterday on the naxalite menace, Dr Singh told mediapersons that mutual consent of the Centre and the state government was evident on all issues relating to internal security. But the state had not yet got any proposal from the Centre seeking the state's permission.

On the other hand, Dr Singh put the blame on the Centre for not drawing out the joint action plan to check naxalite activities.

''The Centre was emphasising on the need for a joint action plan against naxalites for a long time. But why the Centre had not prepared the action plan,'' he asked.

During the Question Hour yesterday, Mr Patil told the Lok Sabha that the Chhattisgarh government had been found wanting to tackle Naxalite menace in the state. Chhattisgarh had been worst affected by the Naxalite problem but the state government's operation was not upto the mark despite the Centre gave maximum support to it.

Meanwhile, Chhattisgarh Pradesh Congress Committee President Charan Das Mahant said the Centre should not further delay in taking direct action to tackle the menace. The situation had gone out of control and despite liberal assistance from the Centre, the state government had failed to control it.

''Innocent tribals were being killed as the government failed to give them protection. They are being targetted by the naxals on the suspicion of police informers, while the security forces eliminate them in fake encounters'', Mr Mahant said.

Charging that the state government was lenient towards senior police officers by not holding them responsible for laxity, he pointed out that central security forces and local tribals appointed as Special Police Officers were given the task to take on the naxals, who were running ''parallel government'' in a larger area in Bastar.

UNI