Naxalites must abjure violence: Chidambaram India News and Travel Times Provides India-centric and other News and Features

Reiterating that India was a much stronger and secure nation now in the aftermath of 26/11' Union Home Minister P. Chidambaram on Wednesday said Naxalites must abjure violence and return to the democratic path. Addressing a press conference here, Chidambaram said: "The Naxal problem has grown over last 10-12 years. We are now confronting Naxals and will not allow them to expand their area of influence. Naxalites are indulging in violence. All I want to say is that we abjure violence." "All issues concerned to Naxalites like development, deprivation, governance and corruption can be resolved through dialogues with the concerned state government, he added. He said that the Centre can work together with Naxalites as both represent the same cause of the people. On the question of the Indian Air Force's (IAF) involvement in tackling Naxal terror, Chidambaram said the IAF would take adequate counter-measures. Elaborating further on the issue, he said, "I have made my position clear. Naxalites believe in armed struggle and use words like war. We do not regard this confrontation with them as war, we are a civilised country." "We will help state governments to discuss with the CPM all issues, including neglect, corruption and development. But violence is simply unacceptable. As long as the Maoists believe in armed liberation, we have no choice but to ask security forces to engage them," he added. "We are a stronger nation from a security point of view. We have a better and improved police force. I was in Pune yesterday and today I am in Mumbai. I can say with complete confidence that both Mumbai and Pune are much safer places today then ten months ago," Chidambaram said "Security will get better. A safer and more secure Maharashtra is a certainty," he added. Appealing to the people of Maharashtra to vote for the incumbent Congress-NCP Alliance, Chidambaram claimed that the new government would provide a safer and most secure Maharashtra. Chidambaram's comments come a day after Jharkhand police inspector Francis Induwar, who had been abducted on Sep 30, was found killed on the Ranchi-Jamshedpur highway.