by admin | May 25, 2021 | News, Politics
New Delhi : Union Minister Arun Jaitley’s allegation that “jehadists and Maoists” have earned the sympathy of Congress chief Rahul Gandhi is “laughable and absurd” former Finance Minister P. Chidambaram said on Saturday, adding that the party is “stoutly opposed” to the two groups.
Jaitley, in his hard-hitting blog post on Friday had said while “jehadis and Maoists” were threatening the rights of citizens, human rights organisations “taken over by the ultra-left” never spoke of this.
He alleged that even though the Congress historically and ideologically would have been opposed to these groups, they have earned sympathy in Rahul Gandhi’s heart.
“He had no qualms about joining those who raised subversive slogans at JNU (Jawaharlal Nehru University) and Hyderabad.
“With this initial success, the others amongst the so-called federal front have forgotten the dangers of these groups to India and Indian democracy.
“The political adventurists in parties like AAP (Aam Aadmi Party), TMC (Trinamool Congress) and the like only look for a political opportunity in these groups,” he wrote in his blog.
Senior Congress leader Chidambaram, hit out at Jaitley saying the United Progressive Alliance government led by the Congress had fought the jehadis in Jammu and Kashmir and brought down the level of violence substantially.
“The allegation that jehadists and Maoists have earned the sympathy of Rahul Gandhi is laughable and absurd. Congress is stoutly opposed to the two groups,” Chidambaram said in a series of tweets.
“Who can forget that Congress practically lost its entire leadership in Chhattisgarh to Maoist violence? Under UPA, the government fought the jehadists in Jammu and Kashmir and brought down the level of violence substantially,” he added.
The Union Minister, who underwent kidney replacement in May and is yet to rejoin his office, in his blog had said that the terrorists and the jehadis were threatening the human rights of the citizens in Jammu and Kashmir.
“They terrorise courts; they kill editors; they kill innocent citizens and they don’t allow any alternate religion to be practised. Who is threatening the human rights of the citizens of Kashmir? It is obvious that it is the terrorists and the jehadis.”
Meanwhile, Maoists don’t allow any development activity in tribal regions, he said. “They kill innocent tribals who don’t agree with them; they destroy public buildings; they kill security personnel and they even charge a parallel tax from helpless citizens.”
He said human rights were at the core of India’s Parliamentary democracy and the Constitution guaranteed these to every citizen. “Our policy has to be ‘save the human rights of every Indian – be it a tribal or a Kashmiri’ from terrorists,” Jaitley had written.
However, he had accused the human rights organisations of being taken over by the ultra-left and said they never spoke about the deprivation of the human rights of the citizens, and “never shed a tear for the indiscriminate killing of the security personnel”.
“These human right organisations are an over-ground face of the underground. In the system that they believe in, there is no place for life, liberty, equality and free speech, election or Parliamentary democracy.”
—IANS
by admin | May 25, 2021 | Interviews
Chhattisgarh Chief Minister Raman Singh
By Brajendra Nath Singh,
Raipur : Chhattisgarh Chief Minister Raman Singh says “frustrated Maoists” are losing their footholds due to the joint actions of the state and central governments which have put the state on the path of development by building roads, schools and hospitals in remote, inaccessible areas that were earlier the hotbeds of left-wing extremist militias.
The longest-serving Chief Minister of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) also said that Naxalism can only be countered through development and that there would be “no dearth of money” in this regard as long as Narendra Modi is the Prime Minister.
“My dream for the state is a peaceful and progressive Chhattisgarh. We are on that path. We will soon end the menace of Naxalism from its roots. We are progressing in that direction,” Singh told IANS in an interview here.
Asserting that development is the “mool mantra” (basic principle) of the BJP government, he said, “By carrying out development works, we have been successful in awakening society. It will definitely benefit us.
“Naxalism can only be countered by development. Wherever we are constructing roads and working on development, the Maoists are losing their foothold. Now, we have reached very close and are moving ahead in an important direction to root out the menace.”
The Chief Minister said that his government was getting better cooperation from the Centre on the Maoist front, especially after the BJP came to power in 2014, and has been working in close coordination with it.
“We are getting all sorts of support from Prime Minister Modi and Home Minister Rajnath Singh. The Prime Minister’s priority has always been the development of the Maoist-affected areas. He recently provided a special fund of Rs 600 crore for the aspirational districts of the country among which seven districts are from Chhattisgarh. He provided the District Mineral Foundation (DMF) to us and we got Rs 300 crore additional funds for the state. There is no dearth of money for development as long as BJP is there at the Centre,” he said.
Singh said there are still many backward districts in Chhattisgarh, including Dantewada, Bijapur and Sukma.
“They all are areas with heavy Maoist presence. We brought these areas into the mainstream on a priority basis. We developed these areas as educational hubs where over 4,000 students are studying. We have built many hospitals, providing them modern equipment, and deputed well-educated and qualified doctors to bring development to the doorsteps of the people of these areas,” he said.
Singh, who is seeking a fourth consecutive term in office, said that his government has constructed roads into those areas where it was impossible to reach.
“We are connecting the whole state with four-five lane roads. Many such projects have been completed while some are on the verge of completion. We have done our best to provide high-quality infrastructure. During my visits to such areas, I find people’s level of satisfaction has improved. Earlier, Chhattisgarh was rated among the most backward states; now we are counted among the fast-developing states,” Singh said.
Dubbing Maoists as anti-development, the Chief Minister said that the Sukma district of the state has become international headquarters of Maoists as it is surrounded by Andhra Pradesh and Telangana.
“A major group of Maoists from Andhra Pradesh and Telangana are active in Chhattisgarh. They are using their entire power in Chhattisgarh as they are fighting for their their survival,” he said.
(Brajendra Nath Singh can be contacted at brajendra.n@ians.in)
—IANS
by admin | May 25, 2021 | News, Politics
By Rajnish Singh,
New Delhi : The Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) is all set to purchase 25 high-end drones to equip itself to better conduct anti-Maoist operations and deal with militants in Jammu and Kashmir.
The tendering process for the procurement of the drones has started and they are expected to be introduced by the CRPF – the country’s largest paramilitary force – in the next three-four months, a Deputy Inspector General-rank officer told IANS on the condition of anonymity.
A pre-bid conference for the procurement of the drones was held on September 12, 2017, and the online and offline tender was opened on October 26, 2017, with a validity of six months.
These drones — each costing around Rs 15 lakh — are being purchased to help the CRPF personnel during surveillance, reconnaissance and detection in day and night operations in Jammu and Kashmir and in the dense forests of Maoist-hit states like Chhattisgarh, Jharkhand, Andhra Pradesh, Telangana, Madhya Pradesh and Maharashtra.
The 25 new drones will join CRPF’s existing fleet of 40 and help the force get real-time inputs and avoid attacks on its troopers.
“The drones will have the capacity to integrate geo-referenced master maps — provided in at least one of the commonly used digital map formats — with real-time and clear video during flights at heights of around 250 metres. They will also have better quality zoom control and thermal imaging for night operations,” the CRPF official said.
He also said that the new drones would be able to detect human-sized targets at 300 metres or more and have additional features when compared to the CRPF’s existing Indian-made light drones, named “Netra”.
“These drones will also comprise a ground control station with data link equipment, daylight camera payload, night camera payload, universal battery charger with power supply system,” he added.
The move is part of CRPF Director General R.R. Bhatnagar’s focus on better equipping the force and improving its infrastructure, the official said.
The tender, issued on August 25 last year with the submission date on January 2, invited an “online global tender” in a two-bid system for the supply of 25 micro Unmanned Aerial Vehicle (UAVs).
The 57-page tender notification seeks a two-year guarantee from the manufacturers, who have to supply the drones within 90 days of winning the contract.
The notification says the tendering firms have to register with the National Small Industries Corporation to undergo re-verification of their manufacturing capacity and clarifies that in case of denial for re-verification, they will be disqualified.
“All the tenderers are required to demonstrate the equipment and product offered by them before a board of officers (to be detailed by DG CRPF) at 201 Cobra Battalion Headquarters… (Chattisgarh) for assessing the technical suitability and performance of the equipment as per tender enquiry specifications.
“Offers of those firms are liable to be ignored, whose equipment or product are not found as per tender enquiry specifications. Price bids of only those firms will be opened whose technical bids as well as performance of their equipment so demonstrated are found acceptable as per requirement,” says the notification.
Training of 75 CRPF personnel to handle the drones and minor repairs at the 4 Signal Battalion of the force in Neemuch, Madhya Pradesh, are part of the conditions laid down in the document, another CRPF officer said.
According to the officer, although the Maoist threat has diminished with the security forces increasing their “area dominance”, intelligence reports suggest they are trying to reorganise themselves – and high-end gadgets like the drone will help in fighting them.
The over 300,000-strong CRPF is mandated to provide internal security in Jammu and Kashmir and Maoist-affeted areas.
(Rajnish Singh can be contacted at rajnish.s@ians.in )
—IANS
