Click to play videoNew Delhi: The political positioning seems to have come a full circle on the Naxal issue with the Opposition speaking the language of the Government and allies in the ruling UPA exerting pressure for a softer stance.
Chief Ministers from NDA ruled states like Raman Singh and Naveen Patnaik want no compromise formula with the Maoists.
In Chhattisgarh, the Salwa Judum movement was started by Chief Minister Raman Singh to take on the Maoists.
Singh, has refused to accept Naxal offer of ceasefire as serious.
“It should be clarified that no discussion can take place with conditions attached to it. As it is, this offer is not serious because it just came as a SMS saying that they want dialogue, this is not through proper channel, said Raman Singh.
He doesn't favour a soft approach and says that the Government can't be seen to be bending before Maoists.
Orissa Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik said, “Repeatedly I have said that they should shun violence, then only dialogue is possible, only if they give up violence.”
However, Railway Minister Mamata Banerjee’s Trinamool Congress (TC) thinks that now is the time to engage the Maoists in negotiations.
Trinamool Congress MP Kabir Suman said, “It’s a very good opportunity, and the Government should respond positively, because we are all tired of bloodshed, we are all tired of death, we all want peace, everyone wants peace, so its a wonderful opportunity.”
Meanwhile, Trinamool's soft stance towards the Naxals has made the ruling front in West Bengal wary of the government's approach.
CPI national secretary D Raja said, “Government has already welcomed the offer, the government has said that there should not be any conditions, if there should not be any conditions then the conditions shouldn’t be on both sides. Let the government explain what strategy government is going to adopt.”
For the Naxal strategy to succeed, cooperation between all Naxal affected states is necessary. The Home Minister has been holding meetings with all states to reach a concensus; however, with Bihar and Jharkhand chief ministers staying away from all such meetings, there is little clarity on the way ahead.
The Naxal violence hasn’t ebbed even after the offer of ceasefire. What’s adding to the home ministry’s woes is the lack of political consensus on the subject. The challenge now is to not only get Opposition ruled states on the same page as the home ministry but also ensure that allies are on board.
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