Arrest of Maoists in Coimbatore disproves state govt's claim, says BJP

COIMBATORE: BJP today said the arrest of five Maoists, including two of its top leaders, from here has 'disproved' of Tamil Nadu government's claims of no Naxal activities in the state.

Five Maoists, including top leaders Roopesh and his wife Shina, were arrested yesterday at Karumathampatti, some 20 kms from here.

BJP National Secretary H Raja said the state government had long been claiming that there was no naxal activity in the state. However, the arrests have disproved of their claims, he told PTI.

Moreover, there were also unconfirmed reports that youngsters were being trained in left-wing extremism in the jungles of Theni district, he said and demanded that the government thoroughly investigate the matter before it took on a "larger dimension".

"The AIADMK government should follow its leader, late M G Ramachandran, who was successful in containing the activities of Naxals in some places in Dharmapuri district," he said.

Yesterday Kerala Home Minister Ramesh Chennithala had said that the arrests of Roopesh, wanted in at least 20 cases in Kerala and the four others, was a "big breakthrough" and was made possible by coordinated efforts of police from Andhra Pradesh, Kerala, Karnataka and Tamil Nadu.