Differences between Union home minister P. Chidambaram and Gujarat chief minister Narendra Modi surfaced during a meeting of chief ministers on internal security here on Tuesday.
When Mr Modi attacked the Centre over the rise in the killings of civilians by Maoists, calling it a “failure” on the government’s part, the home minister countered this by saying that “Gujarat has no idea of the seriousness of the Naxal problem”.
Mr Modi, speaking on the sidelines of the conference, said the rising civilian casualties at Maoist hands, as noted by Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, was a “failure” of the government. Mr Chidambaram objected, saying: “I don’t think it is fair to say the situation has worsened in Naxal-affected states... It’s a kind of stalemate.”
“Now without being partisan, I am surprised that someone has said the situation has worsened.”
Earlier, both the Prime Minister and the home minister tried to blend “religious fundamentalism” with left-wing extremism, cross-border terrorism and ethnic violence.
Both of them, however, carefully avoided any direct reference to right-wing groups.