File photo of Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar
New Delhi:
Nitish Kumar's Bihar, which has seen two major terror strikes this year, has been severely castigated by the Centre for being soft on Maoists.
In an unusually strongly worded letter to Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar on Thursday, Home Minister Sushil Kumar Shinde said there is "deep concern" that Left Wing Extremism is growing in strength in Bihar.
"The Maoists, having realized that Bihar is a soft target to build their arsenal, may resort to spectacular strikes in the near future," Mr Shinde warned in an unusually strongly worded letter to Nitish Kumar on Thursday last.
The home minister said that the Bihar model to counter Maoists isn't working and needs to be "urgently revisited and overhauled" as the situation is alarming and could soon go out of control.
The state police have been criticised for being caught off-guard by multiple blasts in Patna before a Narendra Modi rally in October, in which six people were killed, and the blasts in the religious Bodh Gaya town in July.
Mr Shinde's letter to the chief minister also lists the loss of men and weapons this year - 27 policemen were killed by Maoists and 38 sophisticated weapons were looted. The minister said these are the worst numbers in any state this year.
"There is a worry that Maoists have identified the Bihar Police for snatching weapons and ammunition since they appear to be poorly trained in tactics," Mr Shinde wrote.
Home ministry sources say Bihar has refused to carry out any anti-Maoist operations, alongside development works, in areas worst affected by the violence, unlike other states who are doing both.
Meanwhile, the Bihar government has taken strong exception to the tone and tenor to the content, tone and tenor of the letter. "The reply will be comprehensive and will address all the concerns raised," Mr Kumar said today.
The revelation of the letter comes amid reports of an apparent rethink by Nitish Kumar and his Janata Dal United on any tie-up with the Congress for the national election due by May, after the party's humiliating defeat in state polls.
The Congress failed to win Madhya Pradesh and Chhattisgarh and lost power in Delhi and Rajasthan, in a verdict seen as a reflection of nationwide anger against the ruling party over allegations of graft and rising prices.
In an unusually strongly worded letter to Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar on Thursday, Home Minister Sushil Kumar Shinde said there is "deep concern" that Left Wing Extremism is growing in strength in Bihar.
"The Maoists, having realized that Bihar is a soft target to build their arsenal, may resort to spectacular strikes in the near future," Mr Shinde warned in an unusually strongly worded letter to Nitish Kumar on Thursday last.
The home minister said that the Bihar model to counter Maoists isn't working and needs to be "urgently revisited and overhauled" as the situation is alarming and could soon go out of control.
The state police have been criticised for being caught off-guard by multiple blasts in Patna before a Narendra Modi rally in October, in which six people were killed, and the blasts in the religious Bodh Gaya town in July.
Mr Shinde's letter to the chief minister also lists the loss of men and weapons this year - 27 policemen were killed by Maoists and 38 sophisticated weapons were looted. The minister said these are the worst numbers in any state this year.
"There is a worry that Maoists have identified the Bihar Police for snatching weapons and ammunition since they appear to be poorly trained in tactics," Mr Shinde wrote.
Home ministry sources say Bihar has refused to carry out any anti-Maoist operations, alongside development works, in areas worst affected by the violence, unlike other states who are doing both.
Meanwhile, the Bihar government has taken strong exception to the tone and tenor to the content, tone and tenor of the letter. "The reply will be comprehensive and will address all the concerns raised," Mr Kumar said today.
The revelation of the letter comes amid reports of an apparent rethink by Nitish Kumar and his Janata Dal United on any tie-up with the Congress for the national election due by May, after the party's humiliating defeat in state polls.
The Congress failed to win Madhya Pradesh and Chhattisgarh and lost power in Delhi and Rajasthan, in a verdict seen as a reflection of nationwide anger against the ruling party over allegations of graft and rising prices.
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