Centre has no Mamata for armed Naxals

NEW DELHI: Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and home minister P Chidambaram on Friday sent out an unambiguous message to railway minister Mamata Banerjee that her views on the Maoist problem will not be allowed to cloud the Centre���s response to the Naxalite menace.

The two leaders, who were speaking from separate platforms, said the government at the Centre will do everything at its command to protect the lives of people. ���Let there be no doubt, law and order as I said, is the primary responsibility of every civilised state and whatever comes in the way of maintenance of law and order will be dealt with as it ought to be dealt with,��� prime minister said while addressing a conclave in the Capital.

Ms Banerjee has been expressing her reservations over the police action against the Maoists. The railway minister, who is anxious to bring her views on the subject in sync with the ���human rights activists���, has been demanding suspension of police action against the Naxalites.

On his part, Mr Chidambaram made it plain that he was only carrying out the decision of the Cabinet Committee on Security (CCS). ���The CCS has given the home ministry a mandate. We are only implementing the decision of the CCS,��� the minister said.

In his interaction with the media, the home minister said the government should not show any leniency towards those who indulge in mindless violence. The home minister, who described the Maoists as the most serious threat to internal security, said violence will have to stop.

The minister also said the government was willing for dialogue with the Maoists. ���If they halt violence, we will facilitate talks. I cannot ask state governments to talk when there is widespread violence,��� Mr Chidambaram said.

The minister also drove home the government���s point that it was not grievance over development alone that is responsible for the Maoist violence. ���If they are serious about development and issues such as forests rights and employment, they should engage in a dialogue with the state governments. I regret to say that the response so far has been disappointing.���