Maoists are part of our society: Nitish Kumar

NEW DELHI - Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar Wednesday struck a discordant note on the government’s anti-Maoist policy, saying the leftist rebels were “part of our society” and that the problem should be tackled with sustained development and not with an “enforced action alone”.

“Naxal elements are a part of our society even though they have been misled into following the path of violence,” Nitish Kumar said in his address at the meeting chaired by Prime Minister Manmohan Singh with chief ministers of Maoist-affected states.

“Enforcement action alone leads to wider alienation, making heroes out of the leaders of the extremist organisations and leads to only symptomatic treatment, leaving the underlined disease to reappear in a more virulent form,” he said.

The chief minister said leftwing extremism should be tackled through “sustained development but this needs the centre’s supportive approach to states like Bihar”.

He advocated an “integrated approach” between states to deal with the problem.

He said that central government was not cooperating with his government over the demands for more paramilitary troopers.

“Bihar has not received the requisite support from the central government,” he said.

“There has been no change in the number of paramilitary companies deployed in Bihar over the last several years,” he said.

The number of paramilitary forces was increased in other states but Bihar did not get a single additional company, he said.

He said the state government was successful in keeping the Maoists under check despite this.

“We have raised special auxiliary police by employing ex-servicemen. Unfortunately, we have not been able to get the sanctioned number even after relaxing the employment conditions and raising the allowances,” he said.