Maoists activity could not be contained in 3 states

Union Home Minister P Chidambaram on Thursday admitted that Maoist activity could not be contained in three states, while stating that there has been unprecedented improvement in the security situation in Jammu and Kashmir and in the northeastern states.

"Maoists are active in the three states of Chhattisgarh, Odisha and Jharkhand," Chidambaram said at a media interaction here.

On the other hand, he said, "Never before has there been such an improvement in the security situation in Jammu and Kashmir and the northeast."

Chidambaram, however, complimented the West Bengal government saying that Maoist activities have declined in the state.

"Thanks to the policies we followed during both the previous Left Front government and the new government now, Maoist activities have been wiped out in the affected districts of West Bengal," he said.

On the question of withdrawing central forces from 'junglemahal' area, he said it was not a policy matter, but an operational decision.

"That is an operational decision and not a policy or political decision. It will be taken by the DGP of the state and senior officers of central forces," he said.