Writing to Buddhadeb was Chidambaram’s duty: Pranab
January 1st, 2011 - 9:33 pm ICT by IANS
Kolkata, Jan 1 (IANS) Union Finance Minister Pranab Mukherjee Saturday said his cabinet colleague and Home Minister P. Chidambaram’s letters to West Bengal Chief Minister Buddhadeb Bhattacharjee were part of the former’s duty to write to states where the law and order situation deteriorates.”What is the controversy in this issue? Union home minister has given a letter and the chief minister should answer it. There can be no controversy on this,” Mukherjee told mediapersons here.
Chidambaram in a letter to Bhattacharjee last week said that complaints received by the central government “indicate that armed cadres of the CPI-M (Communist Party of India-Marxist) were deployed in a covert manner under the guise of village protection groups to guard against Naxal (Maoist) attacks”.
“There is evidence to show that ‘harmad’ (hired killers) camps are mostly located in CPI-M party offices and houses of local CPI-M cadres. It is a matter of grave concern that these cadres have been provided with firearms,” the home minister wrote.
Mukherjee said: “If law and order situation deteriorates in a state then it is the duty of the union home minister to request the chief minister to initiate proper steps. The union home minister has done his constitutional duty.”
“The duty of the chief minister is to respond to the letter and give answers to the questions raised by the union home minister,” Mukherjee said.
The finance minister, however, parried a query about the necessity of the use of the word ‘harmad’ in Chidambaram’s missive.
“Don’t ask me about this. Ask those who have used it and who are replying to it,” said Mukherjee.
Bhattacharjee Friday accepted Chidambaram’s invitation to visit New Delhi for talks on law and order situation in the state but said he was “unable to accept” the central minister’s attitude towards Left Front workers.
In another missive Thursday, Chidambaram described the killings of political workers as “alarming”, and said they pointed to a virtual collapse of law and order in parts of the state.
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- No scope for controversy over Home Minister's letters to Bhattacharjee: Mukherjee - Jan 01, 2011
- Chidambaram, Buddhadeb in a war of words, literally - Dec 30, 2010
- Chidambaram invites Buddhadeb to discuss Maoist problem (Lead) - Dec 30, 2010
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- Buddhadeb hits back at 'far from impartial' Chidambaram - Dec 29, 2010
- Bhattacharjee accepts Chidambaram's invite for discussions - Dec 31, 2010
- Stop violence in West Bengal, says Chidambaram to Buddhadeb - Dec 24, 2010
- Bengal government expected to perform its duty: Pranab - Dec 26, 2010
- Don't need Chidambaram's advice on governance: Buddhadeb - May 06, 2011
- Chidambaram-Buddha letters renewing centre-state war? - Jan 15, 2011
- Chidambaram invites Buddhadeb for discussion on Bengal situation - Dec 30, 2010
- Buddhadeb Bhattacharjee to meet Chidambaram, discuss Naxal activities - Jan 19, 2011
Tags: answers to the questions, bhattacharjee, cadres, central government, chief minister, communist party of india, communist party of india marxist, constitutional duty, CPI, grave concern, law and order, maoist, missive, p chidambaram, pranab mukherjee, proper steps, protection groups, union finance minister, union home minister, west bengal