Chhattisgarh chief minister Raman Singh on Wednesday maintained that using air power to tackle the Naxal menace was not advisable. The Congress, on the subject of the use of air power against the Maoists, said it was for the government to decide and that there was no difference within the party on the matter.
Dubbing the Maoists as “terrorists”, the Chhattisgarh CM, while talking to reporters, said a change was needed in the anti-Naxal strategy as the rebels too had altered tactics, shifting from what they call guerrilla warfare to “mobile warfare”. “We will have to change our strategy. But I don’t recommend the use of air power as Chhattisgarh has a dense forest cover inhabited by tribals and, if any such attack is launched, then our men will suffer greatly,” Mr Singh said.
The CM added: “Chhattisgarh is not the Pakistan border. This is not a war. We just cannot think of using air power against the Maoists in the state. Bombing is not possible in these areas.” Mr Singh will meet Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and Union home minister P. Chidambaram on Thursday.
However, Mr Raman Singh, speaking in reference to Mr Digvijay Singh’s remarks against the use of air power, said only the PM or the home minister should speak on such matters. He said: “The issue should be kept away from politics. It is not a political issue at all.”
The chief minister, however, maintained that he was getting adequate support from the Centre and specifically mentioned the Prime Minister and the home minister as the ones who had always supported him.
The Chhattisgarh government on Wednesday sought 23 battalions of Central forces to take on the Maoists. In a presentation before the Planning Commission, state government officials said they want to increase the force strength to counter the growing presence of left-wing extremists in the state, which at present has 12,000 armed rebels.
Meanwhile, talking to reporters, Congress spokesman Abhishek Manu Singhvi said, “All support is being given to fight the Naxals. Air support, logistic support and movement of paramilitary forces is a matter of detail. Let there be no doubt on this.”
Such decisions are taken by the government and not by a member of the Congress party, he added. When asked about the statement made by party general secretary Digvijay Singh, he said, “It is a democracy. He has given his view. He is entitled to it.”