Talks with naxals a threat to national security: Advani

Terming the policies pursued by the state and the Centre on the issue of talks with the rechristened CPI (Maoist) as 'retrograde' and 'self defeating', the new BJP president and former deputy prime minister, L K Advani, today said that individual states holding talks with naxals was one of the most serious threats to the internal security of the country.

Addressing the partymen here after inaugurating a sprawling party building in the state capital, Advani launched a broadside attack against both the governments specifically on the naxal issue, saying that the UPA government is 'undoing the good work' of the previous NDA government.

"How can there be talks with naxals without making them to give up arms? Knowing fully well that the naxal problem cannot be tackled by any individual state as it has assumed pan-Indian proportions, Union home minister Shivraj Patil merely left the issue to the state government. It is not the issue of Andhra Pradesh. It is a matter of internal security," Advani said.

He justified the NDA government's initiative for talks with extremist organisations in Jammu & Kashmir and the Northeastern states during his stint as the country's home minister, maintaining that his government had always insisted on talks without arms.

Advani's statement clearly lays down his party's ideological position on the naxal issue; giving little scope to any dialogue with the armed militants as against that of the Congress party and its governments both in the Centre and the state, which treats the naxal issue essentially as a socio-economic problem that has law and order ramifications.

It may be recalled that the representatives of Jharkhand and Chhattisgarh governments led by the BJP had opposed the Andhra government's peace initiative in the recently concluded co-ordination committee meeting on the naxal issue.

The first round of talks with the former PWG and Janasakti naxalites were only possible after the state government informally agreed to the mediators' suggestion that the issue of carrying weapons also be made part of the agenda for discussions.

Cririticising the Congress party for including issues like talks with naxalites and separate state-hood for Telangana, Advani cautioned that treating such issues as electoral planks and acting at skin deep level would cost the government very dearly.

"If you want to deal with such issues, deal with them with the necessary conviction. Listen to the co-ordination committee on the naxalite problem before taking action," he advised the governments.

The only appeal he made to his partymen on this occasion was to work towards regaining the respect and trust of the masses. Complimenting his predecessor, M Venkaiah Naidu, for his contribution to the party, Advani hinted that his trusted lieutenant would continue to be his chosen one. "He was to be relieved from the post on personal grounds. But that does not mean he will be relieved from party work," he said.

Later in the day, Advani met former chief minister and TDP president N Chandrababu.

Though the meeting lasted for about one-and-half hours, they did not divulge any politically significant details of their meeting, except saying that current national political scenario, including the outcome of Maharashtra elections were discussed. Naidu even sought to clarify that naxal issue did not figure in the meeting.

Though opposed to the idea of talks with naxalites, the TDP leadership has been maintaining a wait-and-watch approach for the time being unlike the BJP, which openly came out against the talks especially after Advani taking over the reigns of the party affairs once again.