Advocates of non violence not Maoist sympathisers

It is wrong to dub those who suggest non-violent means to tackle the Maoist menace as their sympathisers, the Congress said on Saturday rebutting the contention of BJP president Nitin Gadkari that the advisory bodies of the government had Maoist sympathisers.

It is wrong to dub those who suggest non-violent means to tackle the Maoist menace as their sympathisers, the Congress said on Saturday rebutting the contention of BJP president Nitin Gadkari that the advisory bodies of the government had Maoist sympathisers.

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"An advisory body should get varied opinion and should also get the views of those who are critical of government policy. It is for the government to take an appropriate decision after considering all views," Congress spokesman Shakeel Ahmed said.

While participating in the "Walk the Talk" programme on NDTV news channel, Gadkari, in a veiled reference to the National Advisory Council (NAC) headed by Congress president Sonia Gandhi, accused the government of hiring as its advisers people who “openly support” Maoists.

Pointing out that he was not referring to the NAC, but all government advisory bodies, Ahmed said the government had a holistic approach to tackle the Maoist problem.

"It is not a single track approach. The government wants to negotiate with those who want to join the mainstream and address the concerns of those who have perceived grievances," Ahmed said.