india

Updated: Aug 27, 2019 00:52 IST

Union home minister Amit Shah, who reviewed Left Wing Extremism in the country along with chief ministers of the affected states in New Delhi on Monday, directed the security infrastructure to prevent “funds” from reaching Maoist groups.

Importantly, the home minister requested the states to “rationalize their surrender policy” to help “innocent individuals caught in the trap of LWE violence” return to the mainstream.

Bihar chief minister (CM) Nitish Kumar, Odisha CM Naveen Patnaik, Uttar Pradesh CM Yogi Adityanath, Madhya Pradesh CM Kamal Nath, Jharkhand CM Raghubar Das, Chhattisgarh CM Bhupesh Baghel and Andhra Pradesh CM YS Jaganmohan Reddy, along with senior officials, attended the meeting. Ongoing operations against Maoists and development initiatives in LWE-affected areas were reviewed during the meet.

Assuring states of cooperation, Shah said the Centre would fully cooperate with the state in “eliminating LWE”. Security forces were asked to formulate a “proactive strategy” to prevent IED incidents. The Union home minister, however, observed that incidents of LWE have declined.

Shah said Maoist organisations were against “democratic institutions”, and aimed to “subvert the democratic process at ground level”. “They seek to prevent development in the least-developed regions... Their strategy is to misguide people, keep them ignorant,” he said.

Addressing the meeting, Bihar CM Kumar sought a change in the existing policy, which puts the entire financial burden of the deployment of central forces in Maoist-affected areas on the state governments. Chhattisgarh’s Baghel demanded more funds from the Centre to combat LWE. He said his government was geared up to eliminate the menace. UP CM Adityanath said Maoist activities are under control, and wheels of development are moving in affected areas.