Sukma Naxal attack: Full might of Indian state must confront Maoists, says Arun Jaitley

In the backdrop of the killing of 15 security personnel and a civilian in a Naxal attack in Sukma district of BJP-ruled Chhattisgarh, senior party leader Arun Jaitley on Friday demanded that the "full might" of Indian state must be put in force to confront Maoists.

The Leader of Opposition in Rajya Sabha, Jaitley said heavily-armed Maoists are not misguided ideologues nor social reformers. They intend to overthrow parliamentary democracy and replace it with an ideological dictatorship, he said.

"Maoism is not a poverty eradication scheme. It is an ideological movement which is intended to overthrow India's democracy and replace it with an ideological dictatorship... There can never be half a battle against Maoism. The full might of the Indian state must confront them," he said.

"How long will India continue to sacrifice ordinary citizens and security personnel at the hands of this violence? We must be clear that the first right to national resources must belong to the tribals. We must alienate the tribals from the Maoists," he wrote on his blog.

Jaitley asked if we follow a theory put forward by some "bleeding hearts" that economic progress of Maoist regions alone will eliminate the threat of Maoism and said this is not even a half truth.  "For any government to enter the areas of Maoists influence, restoration of peace is a condition precedent. The landmines have to be eliminated. The arms in control of the private armies have to be flushed out. Extortionism of the average citizens has to end," he said.

These are areas of Maoist dominance, he said, and the average citizen in these areas is oppressed with the writ of the administration hardly running. The senior BJP leader said Maoists collect taxes in these areas and have paid volunteers in every village. They are eavily armed, he said. "Their source of arms and ammunition in these areas has to be smashed," he added.

Within the Maoists scheme of ideas there will be no democracy, no freedom, no right to life and liberty, no rule of law, no free speech, he said.