[As it appears from the nearly identical reports below - apparently culled from a longer dispatch by a single news agency, only three states attended the coordination meet. It is significant that Jharkhand, the second most affected state, stayed away.
But heat is on Shibu Soren. Chidambaram is to confabulate with Soren next week.] I/III. http://www.business-standard.com/india/news/pc-happyoffensive-against-naxalites/383389/ PC happy with offensive against Naxalites BS Reporter / Kolkata/ Raipur January 23, 2010, 0:31 IST The Union Home Minister, P Chidambaram today expressed satisfaction over the progress of the on-going offensive launched by the security forces against the Naxalites in the insurgency-hit states. "The progress of the joint operation against the Naxalites that is a few weeks old is satisfactory and it will be more satisfactory as the operation proceed," Chidambaram told reporters here this afternoon after a high-level meeting convened to review the progress of the operation. Chhattisgarh Chief Minister Dr Raman Singh, chief minister of Orissa Naveen Patnaik and home minister of Maharashtra RR Patil attended the meeting which lasted for about two hours. Senior police officials of the Naxal-infested states and para-military forces engaged in the operation were also present. Chidambaram made it clear that the goal of the operation against the rebels was not to engage in gunbattles, invite unnecessary violence and colateral damages. The operation would re-assert the establishment of civil administration in the affected pockets and regain control over the territories (that are under Naxal control), the union home minister said. Once the forces that would move into the areas regain control, the administration would be allowed to exercise the coordination of taking up development works in the areas. The three states (Chhattisgarh, Orissa and Maharashtra) have agreed to cooperate and coordinate in the joint operation. The Home minister said there was no such operation called 'green hunt' going on in the country. "A senior officer of a state had coined the term," he said. The joint operation is nothing but troop and technology that the Centre is providing to the states to deal with the Naxal menace, he added. Replying to a question, Chidambaram said Vanvasi Chetana Ashram director Himanshu Kumar had met him and invited for public hearing in Dantewada. I told him clearly that the chief minister (Raman Singh) must accompany him to Dantewada, Chidambaram said. The Home minister said Kumar had informed about organising some Pad yatra that he cancelled later. There was no programme of visiting Dantewada to attend the public hearing as there was no confirmation about the date and programme (from the organiser), he added. II. http://www.asianage.com/presentation/leftnavigation/news/india/pc-naxal-ops-are-satisfactory.aspx PC: Naxal ops are satisfactory Raipur, Jan. 22: Union home minister P. Chidambaram on Friday said that the progress of the ongoing operation against the Maoists in the Naxal-hit states was "satisfactory". "The joint operation against the Naxalites is few weeks old and the progress has been satisfactory," Mr Chidambaram told reporters after a high-level meeting convened here to review the operation. Besides Chhattisgarh chief minister Raman Singh, Orissa chief minister Naveen Patnaik and Maharashtra home minister R.R. Patil attended the meeting that lasted for about two hours. Senior police officials of the Naxal-affected states and paramilitary forces engaged in the operation were also present. "The goal of the operation is not to engage in gunbattles," Mr Chidambaram said, adding that the operation would re-assert the establishment of civil-administration in the affected pockets. "The administration would be allowed to exercise the coordination of taking up development works in the areas," he said. He clarified the government intended to avoid unnecessary violence and collateral damages through the operation. "All that the operation will do is to move the security forces inside (the disturbed areas) and regain control from the Naxalites," he added. The three states (Chhattisgarh, Orissa and Maharashtra) have agreed to cooperate and coordinate in the joint operation. "As the operation continues, the progress is going to be more satisfactory," Mr Chidambaram said. The Union minister said there was no such operation "Green Hunt" going on in the country. "For the convenience, a senior officer of a state had coined the name," Mr Chidambaram said. The joint operation is nothing but troop and technology that the Centre is providing to the states to deal with the Naxal menace, he added. —PTI *** ‘No proof of foreign aid to Naxals’ Raipur, Jan. 22: The Central government does not have any evidence of the Maoists, against whom the security forces have launched a major offensive, getting external monetary help, home minister P. Chidambaram said on Friday. "There is no evidence of the Naxals (Maoists) getting external monetary help though they are getting smuggled arms," he replied to a query on the issue at a press conference here after presiding over a two-hour meeting with Chhattisgarh chief minister Raman Singh, Orissa chief minister Naveen Patnaik, Maharashtra home minister R.R. Patil and officers of paramilitary forces. Officials who attended the meeting said the participants were of the unanimous view that massive all-round development and infrastructure projects should be taken up in the areas being cleared of and to be cleared of the Maoists. Mr Chidambaram also assured the three states that the centre was committed to provide all help to them, including more funds, to get rid of the left-wing extremists. —IANS III. http://www.zeenews.com/news598120.html# No evidence of Maoists getting foreign help: PC Updated on Friday, January 22, 2010, 15:48 IST Raipur: The central government does not have any evidence of the Maoists, against whom the security forces have launched a major offensive, getting external monetary help, P Chidambaram said Friday. "There is no evidence of the Naxals (Maoists) getting external monetary help though they are getting smuggled arms," he replied to a query on the issue at a press conference here after presiding over a two-hour meeting with Chhattisgarh Chief Minister Raman Singh, Orissa Chief Minister Navin Patnaik, MaharashtraHome Minister RR Patil and officers of paramilitary forces. Officials who attended the meeting said the participants were of the unanimous view that massive all-round development and infrastructure projects should be taken up in the areas being cleared of and to be cleared of the Maoists. Chidambaram also assured the three states that the centre was committed to provide all help to them, including more funds and paramilitary forces, as also other resources, to get rid of the left-wing extremists. At the press conference, Chidambaram urged the media to not fall to prey to Maoist propaganda, saying: "I will take care of the international media but you shouldn't give space to Maoist propaganda." "Naxals are misleading the people, 283 schools are destroyed, innocent people were getting killed even yesterday (Thursday), they killed two boys in Chhattisgarh who belonged to primitive tribes as they wanted to get recruited in army," Chidambaram stated. "Is the killing of boys and students the Naxals' ideology and philosophy?" he asked. Govt to reassert authority in Maoist areas: Home Minister P Chidambaram said that states had agreed to coordinate actions against Maoist guerrillas and that the government's goal was to reassert authority in rebel bastions. "(Our aim is) to reassert the civil administration to be followed immediately by development in areas dominated by Naxalites for quite some years," Chidambaram said after a meeting with top officials of Orissa, Maharashtra and Chhattisgarh here. "The meeting was successful", the minister told reporters. "We identified progress we made... We identified steps to be taken. "The (anti-Maoist) operations will continue. Our goal is not to kill anyone but to reassert the civil administration to be followed immediately by development in areas dominated by Naxalites for quite some years." Chidambaram chaired a two-hour meeting at the tate secretariat with Chief Ministers Raman Singh of Chhattisgarh and Navin Patnaik of Orissa, Maharashtra Home Minister RR Patil and officials of paramilitary forces. He said that the central government was offering troops and technology to states to take on the outlawed Communist Party of India-Maoist (CPI-Maoist). "My approach to the CPI-Maoist and other such banned organisations is that you will suspend violence and we will talk. But they are killing people. Even yesterday they killed two boys in Chhattisgarh who belonged to primitive tribes as they wanted to get recruited in (the Indian) Army," he said. "The coordinated operation (against Maoists) is just a few weeks old. The progress is satisfactory and in future it will be more satisfactory. In many places Naxalites are retreating and we welcome it. But in some areas they are engaged in battle," Chidambaram said. IANS * * * * <http://www.zeenews.com/news598120.html> -- Peace Is Doable -- Peace Is Doable -- You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "Green Youth Movement" group. To post to this group, send an email to [email protected]. To unsubscribe from this group, send email to [email protected]. For more options, visit this group at http://groups.google.com/group/greenyouth?hl=en-GB.
