Thaindian News

Ranchi, Jan 18 (IANS) Jharkhand Chief Minister Shibu Soren, who is in New Delhi, is likely to discuss with Prime Minister Manmohan Singh a proposed operation against Maoist guerrillas apart from development issues.
“First there is a need to identify who the Maoist guerrillas are. We will talk many issues with the prime minister, including the proposed Maoist operation,” Soren had told reporters before leaving for New Delhi Sunday evening.

When Soren took charge of Jharkhand for the third time Dec 30, he had said that the proposed offensive against Maoists, which had been labelled Green hunt operation, would not be launched without the state government’s nod.

“We will talk to the central government. Such an operation cannot take place without the consent of the state government,” he had said.

Soren had even invited the rebels for dialogue. Maoist leader Kisanji, through local media, had responded to the dialogue offer but demanded that no offensive be launched, arrested rebels be released and that security forces vacate schools.

Union Home Minister P. Chidambaram had in November labelled the anti-Maoist operation a media invention and said that the central government was only assisting states in counter-insurgency measures.

Police officials, however, have called on the government to have a clear-cut policy on tackling Maoists.

“The government should have clear-cut policy on Maoist operations. If the government wants dialogue, then it should move ahead with that policy, otherwise there should be an offensive against Maoists,” a police official involved in anti-Maoist operations told IANS.

“Our chief minister’s statement is a clear indication that no operation should take place against Maoists. Maoists are killing security forces and they are termed our brothers,” said D.N. Singh, joint secretary of the Jharkhand police Association.

Maoist violence is continuing in Jharkhand despite Soren having invited the rebels to a dialogue. The latest attack was Jan 15 when Maoists killed eight people, including seven policemen, by triggering a landmine blast in Gumla district.

Maoist guerrillas are active in 18 of Jharkhand’s 24 districts. Nearly 1,600 people, including 345 security personnel, have been killed in Maoist violence since the creation of the state in November 2000.