Rein in sympathisers in varsities: Fadnavis

Maharashtra chief minister Devendra Fadnavis on Monday sought a strategy to deal with Maoists sympathisers who, he said, were in universities in New Delhi, Pune, Patna and Hyderabad.

In the meeting of chief ministers and top officials of 10 Maoistaffected states to review strategy to deal with left-wing extremism (LWE), Fadnavis said frontal organisations of Maoists were also a matter of concern.

“The propaganda fights are not in (naxal hotbeds of) Gadchiroli or Sukma, but it is in universities of Delhi, Pune or Patna or Hyderabad. They (Naxal sympathisers) are organising strategies for Naxals. An army of Naxal sympathisers is as dangerous as the militant operatives,” he said.

His comments came amid BJP’s allegations that educational institutes such as Jawaharlal Nehru University in New Delhi have become base for extreme left ideology.

The Maharashtra’s BJP chief minister further said after the conviction of Prof GN Saibaba, an alleged Maoist ideologue, retaliatory attacks are being planned in the country.

Chhattisgarh chief minister Raman Singh, who was also present in the meeting, said a campaign is needed to make Sukma free from Maoists. “Key points of campaign should be to focus on the interiors of Sukma, targeting big leaders, capturing new grounds, new security camps with air support and faster road construction and development,” said Singh. He also sought to create an operational unified command at the level of district police chiefs for better coordination on the ground.