Govt rejects Modi's demand for 'white paper' on security

Union Home Minister Sushilkumar Shinde on Tuesday rejected Gujarat Chief Minister Narendra Modi's demand for a 'white paper' on internal security and said the government was following a two-pronged strategy of development and offensive action to tackle Naxalism.

"Mr Modi is chief minister for nine years. He has been attending it (conference of internal security) every year. He should understand the gravity of Naxalism as he is just on the border of Maharashtra (which is affected by Naxalism).

"So if he has understood the gravity of Naxalism, if proper care is not taken, what sort of white paper they want? I think we need to be rigid on this. I don't think any white paper is required on it," he told reporters during his monthly press conference in New Delhi.

"We have already said as far as possible we should work to make roads and provide education in those (Naxal-affected) areas," the minister said.

Modi, after attending the conference of chief ministers on internal security here on June 5, had demanded a 'white paper' from the government on internal security.

"We have got two-pronged action directive from the all party meeting that we should go ahead with the development work and at the same time we should take stringent action against them. Both Centre and state security forces will work together (in tackling the menace)," Shinde said when asked about the outcome of all-party meeting on Naxalism in New Delhi on Monday.

The meeting assumes significance as it was called in the wake of the brutal Naxal attack on Congress party's 'Parivartan Yatra' on May 25 in Bastar region of Chhattisgarh which killed the party's leaders and injured 37 others. The home ministry has later given the case to National Investigation Agency to probe the case.

"NIA is enquiring into the case. And the police action from both the state government and central paramilitary forces is on. I can't give you the lead. This is not the time to give lead," Shinde said when asked about the progress on the enquiry.