Home Minister P. Chidambaram on Wednesday ruled out use of Army in the Centre's fight against Maoists, but added that the “mandate of not using aircraft against Maoists would be revisited”.
Addressing a press conference in Jagdalpur, along with Chhatisgarh chief minister Raman Singh, after laying wreaths on the bodies of slain CRPF jawans, Chidambaram flatly ruled out talks with Maoists.
“To our offer of talks, they have replied with this savagery. To talk with them will mock the supreme sacrifice of these jawans. We must remain calm, hold our nerve because it's going to be a long drawn-out struggle”, said Chidambaram.
The Home Minister clarified there was nothing called Operation Green Hunt as such launched either by the Centre or the states.
“There is no Operation Green Hunt. I have repeatedly said there is no Operation Green Hunt. Please do not use this word. You can use the words that they (Maoists) are using for looting, killing and maiming people”, said a furious Home Minister.
Chidambaram also made it clear that Tuesday's operation was not an intelligence-based one, but only an effort at area domination and a familiarization exercise by the CRPF men. “There is no evidence so far that there were 1,000 Naxals. It's open to doubt. An inquiry alone will establish the truth. Something had gone wrong, as I had said yesterday. We must remain patient”, he added.
The Home Minister said that while 76 jawans laid down their lives, there were 7 surviving jawans. “We are yet to de-brief these 7 survivors. The media should not speculate on what actually happened.”
Describing the Dantewada massacre as savage and brutal, Chidambaram said, “If this is a war, then it's a war thrust open the State. The whole nation expresses a sense of outrage iver this horrific incident. We will remain calm, we'll hold our nerve and not be led astray”.
“There is no proposal to use the Army. The state police assisted by central para-military officers will tackle the Maoists. That is our present assessment. You can't expect instant success. We're paying the price of neglect for the last 10 to 12 years”, he said.
“This will be a long drawn-out struggle which can last 2 to 3 years. We will hold our nerve”, Chidambaram said.
On use of unmanned aerial vehicles of the Air Force, the Home Minister said: “At present there is no mandate for using aircraft. If necessary, we will revisit this mandate”.
Meanwhile, in Chhatisgarh, several state police officials revealed that the CRPF jawans had gone to the forests without keeping the state police in the loop.
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