Statement issued by BJP President Shri Rajnath Singh in a press conference at Ranchi

BJP President Shri Rajnath Singh has asked the Central government to rise above party politics and formulate a national policy to contain the growing threat of Naxalism.in the country. He cautioned the government that if such a policy is not made soon it could be a major threat to national security and result in a collapase of the law and order situation.He stated that the Naxalites apart from having an active network here had strong links with international terrorist organisations. Despite the fact that the intelligence agencies were fully aware of this, the central government had totally failed to take stringent steps to check Naxalite activities.

Shri Rajnath Singh said that while the Indian Naxalite groups were in touch with the Nepali Maoists, they also continued to strengthen their links with terrorist outfits in Peru, Philippines, Sri Lanka and Bangladesh. He stated that the Naxalites were trying to make India an international hub of terrorist activities and the Central Government must immediately put an end to this.

The BJP president further stated that the Naxalite network had spread to over 150 districts in the country and had a cadre of over 10,000 persons. Each year hundreds of innocent people and security personnel were being killed in Naxalite violence. He appealed to Naxalite groups to give up the path of violence and adopt peaceful means to resolve their grievances. He asserted that every problem can be sorted out by the dialogue and 'ahinsa' ( non-violence).

Shri Rajnath Singh said the BJP which is the national Opposition party will fully support any steps taken by the central government to crush Naxalism in the country. He stated that in about 19 per cent of the forest belts in various States where Naxalism had taken roots, the State governments had failed to curb the problem. It was therefore imperative that the Central government urgently intervene in the matter to check Naxalism.

Stating that the "red corridor" of Naxalism cannot be dealt by merely holding meetings, Shri Rajnath Singh said what was required was effective steps by the government to contain Naxalism. He expressed hope that the Central Government will take right initiative in the matter.