Advani creating fear by baseless statement on security: Jaiswal

New Delhi, Feb 8 (UNI) The government today charged BJP leader and NDA's Prime Minister in waiting L K Advani of trying to create an atmosphere of ''fear and terror'' by his statement on internal security of the country and said that such ''unfortunate and baseless statements'' would only help terrorists.

Minister of State for Home Sriprakash Jaiswal told reporters here that Mr Advani's ''baseless statemment was most unfortunate and deserves strong condemnation from all.'' However, he refused to comment on whether the government was planning to take any action against the Leader of the Opposition for making such statement saying that in a democracy people took action and they should be conveyed the actual facts.

Claiming that the internal security situation in the country, especially in Jammu and Kashmir and North-East, had in fact improved and not deteriorated during the UPA regime, Mr Jaiswal made a scathing attack on NDA-ruled states for failure on checking naxalism.

Mr Jaiswal said naxalism was a major issue in Chhattisgarh, Bihar, Orissa and Jharkhand, of which all three except Jharkhand was ruled by NDA partners. He said states like Chhattisgarh, Bihar and Orissa had failed to contain the naxal violence despite the Centre giving all kind of support in the form of funds for police modernisation and central para military force.

''Before making allegations against the Centre for failing to contain naxal violence, Mr Advani should first ask his own coalition ruled states. Courage is not in only making statement, it should be followed with concrete action by state governments'' he said and added that the Centre was making all possible efforts to contain naxalism. It had sent 33,000 para military forces in naxal-affected states of which 13000 were in Chhattisgarh alone but law and order being a state subject, the states had to decide when and where to use them.

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