Calling his resignation episode a closed chapter, Home Minister P Chidambaram on Saturday said he decided to quit because the Central Reserve Police Force came under his charge but that does not mean state governments have no role in tackling the Maoists.
"The resignation was indeed tendered. The prime minister has rejected it. The matter is a closed chapter," he told reporters, declining to talk further on the issue.
Speaking about the horrific tragedy in Dantewada, when 74 CRPF personnel were killed by Maoists, Chidambaram said, "It is under my charge. This tragedy has happened under my watch. Therefore, I said the buck stops at my desk. It does not mean that the state governments have no role. They have a role, they acknowledge it, recognise and according to me, all the state governments are fully aware of this responsibility," he said
The home minister clarified that it was an intra-Chhattisgarh operation and not an inter-state operation.
"The exercise was planned by the state inspector general of police and the deputy inspector general of police of the CRPF. It was conveyed to the police headquarters and they were aware of the exercise," he said, adding, "but something went wrong. Something went very badly wrong".
He said precious lives were lost and the government has appointed an inquiry committee to go into it.
"Let the report of the inquiry committee come and we will take corrective action," he said.
Asked about the role of the Centre in anti-Naxal operations, the home minister said the central government's role, according to the mandate given to the ministry of home affairs, is to provide paramilitary forces to state governments to help them carry out anti-Naxal operations, to regain control over the area where the Naxals are dominating and to restore civil administration for development.
"I have said this many times and I have said this three days ago in Jagdalpur, (in Chhattisgarh) that this is our role and state governments have an important role to play. I think all the chief ministers recognise that they have an important role to play," he said.
