Home minister P. Chidambaram had spoken to Orissa chief minister Naveen Patnaik during the hostage crisis following the abduction of IAS officer and Malkangiri district collector R.V. Krishna by the CPI (Moist) indicating that any move to release Maoists in exchange of Mr Krishna should not set a precedent for the future.
The home ministry, which was in regular touch with the state government till the release of Mr Krishna, had been trying to minimise the loss owing to the conditions set forth by the Maoists demanding the release of several Naxalites. But, law and order being a state subject, it had to be a call taken by the state government, a source said.
Mr Krishna’s release, however, appears to have also resulted in driving a wedge between the CPI (Maoist) leaders in Orissa and Andhra Pradesh. Government sources said that while the Maoists in Orissa were trying to drive a hard bargain with the government on the release of several Maoist leaders till the last moment, the Andhra Pradesh committee of the CPI (Maoist) felt that such a move could alienate the tribals from them owing to the popularity of Mr Krishna.
Meanwhile, the Chattisgarh government has alerted collectors and other government officials in the state to plan their movements in consultation with the local SP, especially during visits to Naxal-infested belts. Government sources said that the abduction incident may result in a temporary set back to the development projects, including the ambitious Integrated Action Plan, recently rolled out in the Naxal-affected districts.