The Hindu Business Line : `Only coordinated efforts can resolve Naxal problem'

The BJP President, Mr L.K. Advani, adjusts the turban presented to him by the Andhra Pradesh unit at his first official meeting after taking over at the State Executive in Hyderabad on Sunday. His predecessor, Mr M. Venkaiah Naidu, looks on. — Satish H.

Hyderabad, Oct. 24

THE BJP President and leader of the Opposition, Mr L.K. Advani, questioned the Andhra Pradesh Government's approach to hold talks directly with the Naxals of the outlawed People's War and maintained that only concerted efforts by all the affected States could solve the problem.

Mr Advani said the issue of Naxals has affected several States and efforts by individual States to resolve the crisis was meaningless. Any effort to broker peace with talks is a matter of internal security and any move to tackle this by an individual State, as was being done by the Andhra Pradesh Government, would be dangerous to national security.

Mr Advani, who was speaking after inaugurating the BJP State party office here, said Governments should hold talks with revolutionary groups and organisations that lay down arms first.

In the case of Andhra Pradesh, the effort to hold talks on their own could be considered a retrograde step as this is a matter that concerns several States. Only a coordinated effort by various States could resolve the crisis.

Referring to the efforts made by the NDA Government led by Mr A.B. Vajpayee, Mr Advani said that they had worked out a coordination committee of the affected States, who would meet quarterly to review the situation and take up appropriate measures to address various issues. That had emerged as good mechanism.

Mr Advani, who earlier met with the former Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister and TDP President, Mr N. Chandrababu Naidu, said, "If states were allowed to tackle extremism and insurgency problems, this would impinge on the internal security of the country. The Prime Minister, Dr Manmohan Singh, should intervene and bring about a consensus among States for addressing the problems of insurgency in the country as States cannot handle this by themselves."

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`Only coordinated efforts can resolve Naxal problem'