“It’ll be bullet for a bullet in our fight against Maoists...We will not spare any Naxal in Vidarbha. They have already killed 52 police
jawans this year and it is high time we take a firm stand,” said chief minister Ashok Chavan here on Wednesday morning. Chavan said there was a rise in Naxal migration from other states to Maharashtra.
“We cannot have any sympathy for them nor can we wait for them to surrender. So many lives have been lost. We will henceforth be more aggressive,” he stated. “Maoists from Nepal have infiltrated and provided firearms and logistics support to Naxals hiding in our jungles. We are, therefore, expediting the process of strengthening our police machinery in Gadchiroli and other Naxal affected areas, and providing more funds for modern weaponry, helicopters and equipment.” State home minister R R Patil, had on Monday, announced various measures being taken by government to tackle the Naxal menace.
However, he had harped on the surrender policy for Naxals and the need for development in the region. The CM has, however, taken an aggressive stand on the issue. Chavan said that the government was also encouraging IAS and IPS officers to take up posting is these areas. “I often see officers reluctant to take up such postings. But we are now giving them incentives to serve Naxal-hit areas,” he stated.
Commenting on the farmer’s suicides in Vidarbha, he said that the government needs to have “continuous monitoring of various welfare schemes for farmers and their families”. “We already have several irrigation projects and Central/state government relief packages implemented in the villages. But we need to constantly monitor whether the relief is actually reaching the affected farmers and study the factors leading to suicides.”