By IANS,
Guwahati : Assam Chief Minister Tarun Gogoi Friday said that Maoists operating in the state are hand-in-gloves with other militant outfits in the northeast region.
“The statement of the ULFA anti-talk faction’s chief Paresh Baruah to the media Thursday proved this,” he said and added that almost all insurgent groups in the northeast have a nexus with Maoists.
“All insurgent groups of the northeast have a nexus with the Maoists. They (Maoists) were also given training by Nagaland’s NSCN,” said Gogoi while adding that the government had adopted the strategy to nip the Maoists in the bud.
The training, he said, was given in some place outside Assam and “by taking advantage of the ceasefire agreement” with the government of India.
The chief minister also said that the Maoists were spreading their wings in the state and that they had already established a network in all the upper Assam districts.
He said the state government had appealed to the central government for some special schemes to tackle the Maoists and that joint operations along with other states in the region would only help in tackling the problem.
“We will have to conduct operations not only in Assam but also in neighbouring states like Arunachal Pradesh. This is another reason why I have supported the move to form the NCTC (National Counter Terrorism Centre). I need the support of neighbouring states and even neighbouring countries to contain the menace of Maoists. The NCTC will help us in this regard,” said Gogoi.