It is for government to decide about air support: Congress

NEW DELHI - The Congress Tuesday refused to comment on the demand by some states for use of air support in anti-Maoist operations, saying it was for the central government to take a decision on the matter.

“It is for the government to decide according to the situation,” party spokesman Shakeel Ahmed told reporters here.

Another party spokesman, Manish Tewari said that it was not for the party to take a stand on operative and tactical field decisions.

The party’s response came in the wake of questions over Home Minister P. Chidambaram’s television interview Monday where he said that chief ministers of West Bengal, Andhra Pradesh, Maharashtra, Chhattisgarh and Orissa had asked for air support in anti-Maoist operations and he had tried to convince the government on the issue.

Chidambaram had also said that he will go back to the cabinet committee on security for revisiting the mandate given to his ministry for anti-Maoist operations.

Tewari denied that there were differences between the party and government on the strategy to fight Maoists. Asked about the statements of party leader Digvijay Singh about Maoists being misguided ideologues and not terrorists, Tewari said the individual leaders may have their views but the party’s policy was being implemented by the home minister.

Asked about the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader Arun Jaitley’s demand that the prime minister should make clear the government’s anti-Maoist policy, Tewari said it was important that state governments also come on the same page in fighting the Leftist extremists.

“After the Dantewada incident, we did not pick on the BJP CM (chief minister) of Chhattisgarh as we realise that the situation requires a coordinated response. My advice to the leader of opposition (of Rajya Sabha) will be to maintain modicum of responsibility before making such demands,” Tewari said.

Congress leaders said privately that the government would have to be cautious while giving any clearance for use of air support. They said that while use of helicopter gunships could be allowed in certain circumstances, security forces cannot resort to aerial bombing under any condition.

“The government has to be very careful about any collateral damage. Maoist movement cannot be allowed to turn into a tribal insurgency,” a party leader said.