New Delhi, June 22: The Centre has banned Maoists as a terrorist outfit but the CPI-M, whose government is battling a Naxal siege in Lalgarh, said proscription does not work and they have to be fought politically.
After a high level meeting here on Monday against the backdrop of security forces’ operations in West Midnapore district in West Bengal, the Union home ministry brought the group in the list of terrorist outfits banned under the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act.
Home minister P Chidambaram said the government decided on the fresh ban under the UAPA to avoid any ambiguity following the merger of CPI-ML (People’s War Group) with the Marxist Coordination Committee.
“It was always a terror organisation and today an ambiguity has been removed that it is a terror organisation,” he said.
On the CPI-M and the Left Front stand that the Maoists need to be fought politically and administratively and a ban does not work, the minister said he still felt there is a distinction between party and government and hoped the West Bengal Chief Minister Buddhadeb Bhattarcharjee would consider his suggestion to ban the outfit and his Cabinet would take an approriate decision.
–PTI–