WB govt competent to take decision on abducted officer: PC

“If they ask us for assistance we will provide it,” he said.

Asked if there was a move to swap tribal women arrested by the joint forces during anti-Maoist operations in West Midnapore district for release of Atindranath Dutta,the abducted officer,as demanded by Maoist leader Kishenji,Chidambaram said: “this question has to be put to the Chief Minister of West Bengal.”

Asked about his opinion on the issue,he said individual opinion did not matter.

To another query,the minister said it was the duty of the West Bengal government to maintain law and order. Ridiculing Kishenji for terming Dutta as a ‘prisoner of war’,Chidambaram said such terminology was unacceptable.

“They are using the words like PoW. We reject that,(it is) unacceptable in a democracy and republic system.

“We can never accept the theory of armed liberation struggle and guerrila war,” he said.

Stating that the democratic system was large enough to accommodate every shade of political opinion,he said,”Let me assume that the CPI (Maoist) has a particular political view.

That view can also be accommodated in the democratic system.

“So,within a democratic system there are ways in which causes can be advocated and grievances can be redressed,” he said,asserting that violence was not an answer.

On how he differentiated between Maoists and insurgents when both indulged in violence,he said that the context should be understood.

“One key difference is (while) others ask for secession or separate states,but Maoists are not asking for separate states.

“I also pointed out commonalities. What is reported is only one part of the speech. You must understand it in its context,” he said.

Chidambaram had last week said the Maoists were different from insurgents in the North-East and Jammu and Kashmir.