Naxalite fear stalling Telangana state, claims Shinde

Giving a ‘Red’ twist to the separate Telangana state controversy, Union Home Minister Sushilkumar Shinde on Monday said fear of Naxal dominance in the proposed Telangana is ‘an issue’ in deciding the separate statehood. Presenting his first report card as Home Minister, Shinde said it was not a simple issue and an early decision is not possible at this stage.

“There are different opinions on it and we have to handle it carefully. States like Bihar and Madhya Pradesh, which were divided to carve out smaller states, saw increased Naxal problems. This is what was told to me in the meeting,” Shinde said.

Shinde also said several delegations from Andhra Pradesh have met him recently with demands on the Telangana issue, but the Centre has not taken any decision to convene an all-party meeting on the issue.

 “I have heard them out carefully. It is a long-pending issue. No decision has been taken so far. We have to go into the details,” he said.

It is learnt that the Ministry of Home Affairs has already forwarded an analysis of Chapter Eight to the Prime Minister’s Office in August.

The suggestions of senior officials were also sought on the recommendations of the Sri Krishna committee report. Sources said the analysis also included a detailed intelligence report on Naxal penetration in the region.

“The analytical report submitted to the Prime Minister’s Office goes into details of the internal security scenario arising out of the proposed separate state. There is... fear on the ground that ultras may influence the socio-political situation after Telangana is formed,” sources said.

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