Chidambaram’s letter on the basis of proof: Pranab

KOLKATA - Finance Minister Pranab Mukherjee Sunday said Home Minister P. Chaidambaram’s letter to West Bengal Chief Minister Buddhadeb Bhattacharjee asking him to rein in armed cadres of the ruling Marxists was based on “proof and information”.

“The union home minister, on the basis of proof and information, has sought the chief minister’s opinion on certain issues. And he has also advised the chief minister to take action regarding some issues, which is a part of his (home minister’s) duty and responsibility,” Mukherjee told mediapersons here.

Chidambaram, in a letter to Bhattacharjee last week, said that complaints received by the central government “indicate that armed cadres of the CPI-M (Communist Party of India-Marxist) were deployed in a covert manner under the guise of village protection groups to guard against Naxal (Maoist) attacks”.

“There is evidence to show that ‘harmad’ (hired killers) camps are mostly located in CPI-M party offices and houses of local CPI-M cadres. It is a matter of grave concern that these cadres have been provided with firearms,” the home minister wrote.

Mukherjee said it was the duty of the chief minister to inform the union home minister what he had done and what he was willing to do.

“This is between the union home minister and the chief minister. We have no role to play in this,” said Mukherjee.

In another missive Thursday, Chidambaram described the killings of political workers as “alarming” and said they pointed to a virtual collapse of law and order in parts of the state.

Bhattacharjee Friday accepted Chidambaram’s invitation to visit New Delhi for talks on the state’s law and order situation but said he was “unable to accept” the central minister’s attitude towards Left Front workers.