Two-three years for war against Maoists to succeed: Chidambaram

JAGDALPUR - Appealing for calm, union Home Minister P. Chidambaram said Wednesday that it would take two-three years for the war against Maoist guerrillas to succeed and clarified that there was no plan to use the army to crush the rebellion.

“We must remain calm and hold (our) nerve; it will take two-three years to get success,” Chidambaram told a press conference, a day after 76 troopers of the Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) were massacred by Maoists in the dense forests of Dantewada in what is the worst Maoist attack ever.

Asking people not to expect “instant success”, he said the Maoist rebellion was the “gravest threat to internal security”.

The minister was speaking here in Bastar district after paying homage to the 76 dead security personnel. He said the government would never allow Maoist guerrillas to succeed.

“We cannot and shall not allow them to succeed.”

Calling the attacks “brutal act of violence”, he said the state — the central and state governments — would fight back.

The Maoists, he added, were thrusting war on a democratically elected government: “If this is war, we will fight back.”

The minister made it clear that there was “no mandate” to use the army to counter the insurgency.

“The CRPF will help the state government to carry out counter insurgency operation. In our assessment, the state police assisted by central paramilitary forces are sufficient,” Chidambaram said.

“There is no question of use of the army; state police supported by central paramilitary forces will overcome Naxalites… that is our present assessment.”

Chidambaram ruled out any fresh dialogue with the Maoists and said it would be a mockery of the “supreme sacrifice” made by the personnel in the “mindless violence” unleashed by the Maoists.

Disputing some of the reports following Tuesday’s bloodbath, the minister said: “It was not an intelligence based operation, it was area domination operation… there was no evidence that 1,000 Naxals were involved.”

The troops had come under heavy fire and “we lost 76 men, please don’t speculate till sequence of events is established”.

Giving some details, the minister said that “the decision to move 81 CRPF men and a head constable of state police was taken jointly by Bastar IG T.J. Longkumer, Dantewada DIG S.R. Kalluri and the CRPF DIG”.

The Maoists had used improvised explosive devices (IED) , crude bombs and possibly grenades.

Chidambaram also held a security review meet with Chhattisgarh Chief Minister Raman Singh, Director General of Police Vishwa Ranjan and senior paramilitary officials engaged in the anti-Maoist drive in Bastar.

Sources said repeated intelligence failure and lack of coordination between paramilitary forces and the Chhattisgarh police were discussed.