'Terrible failure of command and control led to Dantewada massacre'

Admitting that the Dantewada massacre was a failure of command and control, Home Minister P Chidambaram on Monday said responsibility for the lapse will be fixed right up to his level.

He also ruled out use of Army and Air Force in the Naxal affected areas but said government was examining whether a special force could be used to supplement the para military forces.

The use of aircraft could be considered for surveillance, logistics and evacuation. "There is no proposal to use Army or Air Force against Naxals," he said.

Replying to a debate in the Rajya Sabha on the Dantewada incident in which 76 security personnel were killed early this month, Chidambaram said "Surely action will be taken based on the report" (of the one-man committee going into what went wrong that led to the massacre).

He said the preliminary inquiry showed the incident was a result of 'terrible failure of command and control' and added that he has asked the Ram Mohan panel to 'fix responsibility' right from the Assistant Commandant up to the Union Home Minister.

The report is expected to come by April 25, he said.

Chidambaram said that owning moral responsibility, he had offered to resign but Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and UPA chairperson Sonia Gandhi had rejected it, reposing confidence in him.

"I am determined to continue providing leadership to the Home Ministry and the para military forces. I am determined to provide assistance to states to fight the menace on naxals," he said amid thumping of desks including by BJP members.

While he was willing to be 'advised for course correction' on tackling Naxal issue, Chidambaram said the challenge has to be met squarely and 'we have to fight the menace fearlessly.'

Responding to Leader of Opposition Arun Jaitley's remarks that the home minister did not have support from his own party members, he said, "Our party and UPA are totally united in the fight against Naxals. You will not succeed in trying to divide my party."

Jaitley was referring to Congress MP K Keshava Rao supporting senior party leader Digvijay Singh's disapproval of the handling of Naxal issue by Chidamabram.

The HM insisted that his anti-Naxal policy was in sync with All India Congress Committee 2006 resolution which had said it had to be addressed as a serious law and order problem with an underlying socio-economic process.

Rao maintained that the Dantewada incident was just a symptom and there was a need to look at the disease (lack of development). He said that for the party, social order was important and law and order comes when social order was threatened.

"We are a robust democracy. We must allow various shades of opinion and it is the government which has to evolve a policy," Chidambaram said referring to attacks by the opposition which said Congress was not united on the issue of tackling Naxalism.

Apparently referring to Trinamool Congress leader Mamata Banerjee, Communist Party of India-Marxist member Sitaram Yechury alleged that an ally of UPA and a Cabinet member had boycotted the meetings convened by West Bengal government as also the debates in both Houses of Parliament on Naxal issue.

To this, Chidamabram said that Yechury's problem with an 'unnamed antagonist' would be resolved in '12 months from now' politically, apparently referring to the assembly polls in West Bengal next year.

Replying to a point made by Brinda Karat (CPI-M) that her party cadres were being killed by Maoists, he said cadres of more than one party were being killed in West Bengal and he had taken up the issue with Chief Minister Buddhadeb Bhattacharjee to see that the inter-party clashes were put to an end.

He said while tackling Naxal menace, socio-economic aspects should be kept in mind and doors should always remain open for dialogue with those who abjure violence.

"We have not swerved from this path. Our policy remains the same. It is a serious law and order problem. We will talk, we will act, we will restore law and order and we will bring development in those areas," he said adding the question was which of these priorities came first.

Image: Home Minister P Chidambaram