Mamata, UPA can't agree on fight against Naxals

New Delhi: Differences have cropped up within the United Progressive Alliance Government on how to deal with the Naxal menace.

While Union Home Minister P Chidambaram has been advocating a tough stand against the Naxals, his Cabinet colleague and Railway Minister Mamata Banerjee wants the Government to tow a soft line on the rebels.

Mamata is reportedly insisting that President Pratibha Patil's speech to Parliament at the start of the Budget session should not strongly condemn violence by the Naxals.

Sources say the Cabinet has decided to go slow on condemning Naxal violence especially in West Bengal because of pressure from Mamata.

Instead Mamata wants state government to be held responsible for the violence.

Under her pressure the Government is likely to insist that state governments should do more to control Naxals and economic development is one of the solutions being offered.

Mamata's soft stand in favour of Naxals has often put the Centre in a bind and has been preventing it from launching a stronger and move aggressive anti-Naxal operation.

Her insistence on adopting a soft line towards the Naxals is also seen as a part of her plan to get ready for the West Bengal Assembly elections which are scheduled to take place in 2011.

The Centre is facing the dilemma even as the Naxals have launched two major strikes in the last four days.

On Monday, a group of about 50 Naxals attacked a security camp in West Bengal's Sila killing 24 Eastern Frontier Rifle (EFR) jawans while late on Wednesday night another group of rebels surrounded a village in Bihar's Jamui district killing 10 villagers.

The Naxals have also kidnapped a Block Development Officer, Prashant Kumar Layek, in Jharkhand and have demanded the release of some villagers who they claim have been falsely implicated by the police and arrested.