TELANGANA PROTAGONISTS LIVID WITH DGP's STATEMENT

A day after state police boss RR Girish Kumar raised a new bogey that Maoists would take advantage in smaller states like the proposed Telangana and strengthen their base, T- protagonists shot down his assertions saying he was talking more like a politician and demanded his ouster from the top post. While senior police officials warned that the rebels might utilise the prevailing unrest to their advantage in the backward region, which was once a hotbed of naxalite activity, leaders cutting across party lines pooh- poohed the claims on the grounds that there has been no major incident in T-region in the last two years. "The recent Jan. 2 Maoist bandh had no impact in Telangana, whereas the north coastal agency areas shivered. Isn't it enough proof that there's no naxal activity here" TRS general secretary G J Reddy said.

Incidentally, Girish Kumar hails from coastal Andhra and therefore motives are being attributed to his statements. Taking a dig at DGP, Mudhol legislator S Venugopalachari of TDP said it was un- becoming of a person holding a high post to talk irresponsibly. "In fact, there was no infiltration of naxals on the OU campus as ferreted out by police. The DGP must take back his comments," he said. Joining the issue, PCC chief D Srinivas faulted the top cop for raking up a new controversy. "I don't subscribe to his view that formation of smaller states would lead to spurt in naxal violence," he said.

However, senior cops believe the Left-wing extremists, who reportedly support the T-agitation - could bounce back and regain lost ground, given the turmoil in the last couple of months. "Cops in the districts of Srikakulam and Visakhapatnam bordering Orissa , Khammam adjoining Chhattisgarh and Adilabad bordering Maharashtra have been put on a high alert," an IPS officer involved in anti-naxal operations told TOI. The cops point to the burning of poclainers and vehicles at Devadula project site in Warangal and torching of several vehicles at Singareni coalmines in Adilabad by the naxals. They also do not rule out instructions by Maoist politburo to step up violence in the coming months. "There are some military companies of Maoists operating in small groups. Besides the heavily armed military formations of the Leftwing extremists, there are hundreds of young militia who act as home guards for the banned organisation ," a senior officer of a border district said.
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Girish Kumar is no social scientist
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The all-party Telangana Joint Action Committee (JAC) on Wednesday demanded disciplinary action against Girish Kumar for his comments. The JAC meeting, attended by representatives of TDP, Congress, TRS and various other organisations, adopted three resolutions to carry forward the ongoing peaceful movement for a separate state. The meeting, presided by JAC convenor M Kodandaram felt that the DGP exceeded his brief. The DGP is neither a social scientist nor an economist to predict economic development in a smaller state. Law and order problems will get automatically solved if economic status of people improves. There is ample evidence to say that the smaller states ensure economic development, Kodandaram told media later in the night. Kodandaram said DGPs comments warrant severe action by the government for his comments that hurt the sentiments of Telangana people. In another resolution, the committee felt that there should not be any attack on those settlers who conduct their business activities as per the law. In a third resolution, the JAC asked the MLAs and MLCs from Telangana region who have not submitted their resignation to do so at the earliest. The JAC will take the names of those MLAs who do not fall in line and take steps to see that they also resigned before January 28, Kodandaram said.
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(SOURCE : TOI)

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