In a candid admission of the growing Naxalite menace in the country, Finance Minister Pranab Mukherjee today said the problem partly reflected the government’s failure in meeting the expectations of the people.
The finance minister also expressed concern about the growing violence in the Naxalite-affected districts. Mukherjee was addressing the 71st Raising Day Celebrations of the Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) — the force battling the extreme left brigade in the red corridor.
In 2010, more than 100 CRPF officers and personnel were killed in violent attacks by the Naxalites — up from 58 personnel in 2009 and 53 in 2008.
Mukherjee said it was easy to misguide people living in some of the extremely backward areas of the country, where the state had not shown adequate sensitivity in sharing and mitigating the local concerns, denying their legitimate demands and depriving them of their rights.
“I am particularly concerned about the spread of Left-wing extremism in some of the more backward areas of the economy. In part, it is a reflection of our failure in meeting the expectations of the local people.”
