Govt to address state concern on Naxal menace

‘‘With POTA gone after a month, the states are worried that they will not have any anti-terror law to deal with the growing Naxal violence,’’ a senior Home Ministry official disclosed. Moreover, with the Andhra government entering into a dialogue with the PWG, neighbouring states of Jharkhand, Chhattisgarh and Bihar are specially worried about the fallout in their territories.

Maharashtra is concerned that PWG cadres would enter the state and try to disrupt the Assembly polls, scheduled for October. With the ban on them lifted, the PWG would have a free run and enter the state. Bihar, too, had its reasons for concern.

‘‘Naxal violence, which was earlier limited to central and south Bihar, is also moving towards northern part of the state — towards the border with Nepal. There is the fear that the Left-Wing extremists are trying to build a corridor from Nepal, up to Andhra Pradesh, to facilitate entry of weapons, arms and ammunition for their use,’’ the official added.

Besides addressing these issues, Patil will also discuss the progress made by the Andhra government in its talks with the PWG. The Centre had been encouraging other Naxal-affected states to emulate the Andhra model; identify the leadership active in their respective territories and engage them in a dialogue.

The chief ministers of West Bengal, Madhya Pradesh, Orissa, Uttar Pradesh, Jharkhand, Chhattisgarh, Bihar, Maharashtra and Andhra Pradesh will be attending the meet. However, most of the states are unsure about the role of the Centre in the issue. This was clear during the meeting of DGPs and Chief Secretaries of the affected states in the Capital, earlier this month.