New Delhi, Feb 7 (IANS) India Sunday declared that attempts by Pakistani terror groups to foment trouble in Jammu and Kashmir would be put down with a firm hand, as would the multiple threats posed by leftwing extremism and insurgencies in the northeast.

Addressing chief ministers on internal security for the third time after the 26/11 terror strikes in Mumbai that killed 166 people, Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and Home Minister P.Chidambaram said that terror groups operating from across the border would be defeated. 

"The state of Jammu and Kashmir bears the brunt of the acts of these groups. There is insurgency and violence in the northeast. Many states are affected by leftwing extremism, which I have in the past referred to as the greatest threat to our internal security," said the prime minister.

"There are also those trying to divide our society on communal and regional lines. Each one of these threats requires a strong effort, determination, hard work and continuous vigilance to tackle. These threats to our society, to our polity and our country constitute a challenge that we must and we shall meet effectively at all costs," he said. 

Manmohan Singh also referred to his recent meetings with chief secretaries where he had called for a coordinated effort between the centre and the states to face these internal threats.

"We are also aware that the central government has much more to do", Manmohan Singh said and gave an assurance that there will be "no let up in our commitment and our efforts."

In his opening remarks, Chidambaram, almost on cue with the prime minister, cautioned that infiltration levels were on the rise in Jammu and Kashmir since the beginning of the year and stressed that "dark forces" in Pakistan "will not succeed in their designs" to create turmoil in the state. 

Pointing specifically to the anti-India jehadi rally held on Thursday in Pakistan-administered Kashmir by the Jama'at-ud-Dawaah (JuD), a banned frontal organisation of the Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT) terror outfit, to express 'solidarity with Kashmir', Chidambaram said these groups were "implacably opposed to India".

"It is clear that these groups are implacably opposed to India; their weapons are mayhem and violence; and their goal is forcible annexation of Kashmir. Let me make it clear: these dark forces will not succeed in their designs. We will defeat them whenever and wherever we confront them," said the home minister. 

Referring to Maoist violence that is often referred to India's greatest internal security challenge, Chidambaram, said all the six-affected states had endorsed the action plan of the union government to launch operations, especially after the government's offer of talks was scoffed at and spurned by the Communist Party of India-Maoist leadership. 

Left wing extremists continue to target vital installations and kill innocent civilians in Bihar, Chhattisgarh, Jharkhand, Maharashtra, Orissa and West Bengal that has claimed 1,125 deaths in 2009. 

"In consultation with chief ministers of Naxal (Maoist) affected states, we decided to boldly confront the challenge thrown by the CPI-Maoist. All of us are on the same page," he said. 

The prime minister and home minister got praise from two Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) chief ministers - Chhattisgarh Chief Minister Raman Singh and Narendra Modi of Gujarat - in tackling Maoist violence. 

"Compared to the past experience of seven years, we have got a good response from the central government. Chidambaram has clarity of thought... the prime minister also takes interest," Singh said on tackling Maoist insurgency that plagues his state.

"The response of the home minister and home secretary is swift and positive whenever there is a demand from the states," Modi said. 

His remarks came in the backdrop of the central government's refusal to give its nod to the president to sign the controversial Gujarat Control of Organised Crime Act (GUJCOCA) passed by the state assembly which Modi termed as an "injustice with Gujarat." 

Chidambaram shrugs off LeT's anti-India jehad threat

New Delhi, Feb 7 (IANS) Home Minister P. Chidambaram Sunday dismissed Lashkar-e-Taiba chief Haafiz Saeed's offer of dialogue and a threat to launch jehad against India, saying New Delhi would be holding talks with the Pakistan government and not the terrorist commander.

Chidambaram was asked how did New Delhi justify its talks offer to Islamabad when Haafiz Saeed was issuing terror threats from Pakistani soil. 

"The government of India is not holding talks with Haafiz Saeed. The government of India has proposed talks with Pakistan. What, when, where and how, I don't know," Chidambaram told reporters at the end of an internal security meeting with state chief ministers. 

He was asked about an anti-India jehadi rally in Pakistani Kashmir organised Thursday by Lashkar's frontal organisation Jama'at-ud-Daawa. Saeed, in a similar rally in Lahore a day later, had asked Chidambaram "to first hold talks with me".

"Liberate Kashmir. Otherwise the option of jehad is open for us," Saeed said in the Lahore rally. 

Chidambaram said the Feb 4 jehadi meeting at Muzaffarabad, which was attended by militant groups including Lashkar and Hizbul Mujahideen, made it "clear that these groups are implacably opposed to India". 

"Their weapons are mayhem and violence; and their goal is forcible annexation of Kashmir. Let me make it clear: these dark forces will not succeed in their designs. We will defeat them whenever and wherever we confront them," he said. 

Multiple security threats must be put down - PM

Emphasising that the road ahead to securing India was hard and there was a lot to achieve, Prime Minister Manmohan Singh Sunday said multiple threats such as leftwing extremism and insurgencies in the northeast and Jammu and Kashmir required a firm hand to put down.

"Hostile groups and elements operate from across the border to perpetrate terrorist acts in our country. The state of Jammu and Kashmir bears the brunt of the acts of these groups. There is insurgency and violence in the northeast. Many states are affected by leftwing extremism, which I have in the past referred to as the greatest threat to our internal security," said Manmohan Singh, inaugurating the internal security conclave of chief ministers here.

"There are also those trying to divide our society on communal and regional lines. Each one of these threats requires a strong effort, determination, hard work and continuous vigilance to tackle. These threats to our society, to our polity and our country constitute a challenge that we must and we shall meet effectively at all costs," he said. 

Addressing chief ministers on internal security for the third time after the 26/11 terror strikes, Manmohan Singh lamented that policing was not being given due attention by states, and talked of how infiltration levels have increased in Jammu and Kashmir, the need to strengthen coastal security and the menace of counterfeit currency notes.

"The problems of inadequate number of policemen and deficiency in training of the police personnel have been underlined time and again. Unfortunately, there has not been adequate progress in these areas," he said.

The figures collected by the ministry of home affairs show that at the end of September 2009, about 394,000 of the sanctioned posts in the state and union territory police forces were lying vacant. This constitutes a large proportion - about 20 percent - of the total sanctioned strength. 

According to home ministry figures, all states and union territories had a sanctioned strength of 1,746,215 policemen as on Jan 1, 2008, and against that number, only 1,478,888 policemen were in place. 

The prime minister pointed out that though there had been a marked decline in violence levels in Jammu and Kashmir, the infiltration levels had gone up. 

"As far as Jammu and Kashmir is concerned, there has been a marked decline in the number of terrorist incidents from 2008 to 2009. But, infiltration levels have shown an increase. Recently there have been some incidents which are disturbing," he said

Dwelling at length on the Maoist violence affecting vast swathes of six states, Manmohan Singh said the country's response must be measured to avoid alienating people, especially those in the tribal areas. 

"The number of incidents related to leftwing extremism has, however, increased in the same period, as has the number of civilians and security personnel killed in these incidents. This is worrisome. The extremists continue to target vital installations and kill innocent civilians in Bihar, Chhattisgarh, Jharkhand, Maharashtra, Orissa and West Bengal," he said. 

"As I have said earlier, our response to leftwing extremism must be calibrated to avoid alienating our people, especially those in the tribal areas. It must also go hand in hand with social and economic development of areas affected by leftwing extremism, bringing them into the mainstream of national progress." 

Last year, there were 1,125 deaths due to Maoist extremism -- 591 civilians, 317 security personnel and 217 militants. This is far more than the 721 deaths in 2008, and the toll of 696 in 2007. 

The prime minister stressed that fake Indian currency notes were being printed and smuggled into India from outside and this could have implications for the economy. 

"There is obviously a need for a coordinated approach by the central and state agencies to tackle this menace; which has serious implications for our economy. In some instances of recovery of fake currency, especially by banks, there has been a reluctance (by state governments) to register the First Information Report. This has to be avoided and all such cases must be thoroughly investigated," he said. 

Gujarat anti-terror law unconstitutional: Chidambaram

New Delhi, Feb 7 (IANS) The central government withheld approval to Gujarat's controversial anti-terror law as it was not in accordance with the "present mind of parliament and the constitution", Home Minister P. Chidambaram said Sunday.

"With great respect to (Gujarat Chief Minister) Narendra Modi, I say that the government of India and the president can give assent to a bill which reflects the last expression of the mind of the parliament," Chidambaram told reporters after a meeting with state chief ministers on internal security. 

The home minister said the draconian anti-terror law POTA was repealed because "Indian parliament and the constitution don't approve of a confession made before a police officer". 

Similarly, he said, "the present mind of parliament is opposed to the provisions" contained in the Gujarat Control of Organised Crime Act (GUJCOCA). 

"The law has to reflect the present mind of parliament and constitution and GUJCOCA didn't reflect that," he said. 

The home minister's remarks come in the backdrop of Modi critcising the central government's refusal to give its nod to the president to sign the controversial act passed by the state assembly.

Calling the decision of the central government to return the act as "injustice with Gujarat", Modi described GUJCOCA as only a Xerox copy of a similar law in Maharashtra. 

Strengthen southern coastal security: Stalin

New Delhi, Feb 7 (IANS) The central government "has not fully realised" the "sensitivity" of India's martime boundary with Sri Lanka and should accord it equal significance as the country's other land and sea borders, Tamil Nadu Deputy Chief Minister M.K. Stalin here Sunday.

"The sensitivity of this border with Sri Lanka has not been fully realised. Better co-ordination and exchange of information between various central and state agencies will avert many unsavoury incidents involving our fishermen and the Sri Lankan navy," Stalin said at the internal security meeting here.

It is for this reason the entire manpower cost of securing the maritime boundary should be borne by the Indian government, he said. 

Stalin also opposed the centre's proposal for the blanket transfer to the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) of all cases relating to fake currency notes, saying this should be in consultation and on a case-to-case basis. 

In this context, he noted that the National Investigation Agency Act already provides for transfer of important fake currency note cases to National Investigation Agency at the central government's discretion. 

Stating that Tamil Nadu was not in favour of raising a separate State Industrial Security Force for reasons of sectional recruitment, Stalin said the purpose would be served by the police inculcating professionalism in private security agencies. 

He also said organised crime in the state was being tackled by the creation of an Organised Crime Intelligence Unit (OICU) with 476 officials. 

India united in fighting internal security challenges: Chidambaram

New Delhi, Feb 7 (IANS) All state governments, irrespective of political affiliations, are "on the same page" in fighting challenges to internal security, Home Minister P. Chidambaram said Sunday after a meeting with chief ministers.

"Not a single discordant note emerged in the conference. The whole nation is responding in the spirit of unity. It is in itself a big achievement... a message to all those who challenge India's internal security," Chidambaram told reporters after the meeting on internal security ended. 

"All states and union territories, irrespective of political parties of their administrative heads, are on the same page," Chidambaram said. 

The home minister said the chief ministers of Maoist insurgency-affected states have endorsed the central government's initiative to fight leftwing extremism. 

His remarks came as chief ministers of two Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) ruled states - Narendra Modi of Gujarat and Raman Singh of Chhattisgarh - praised the central government's approach in fighting leftwing terrorism in India. 

Modi compliments Chidambaram's fight against terror

New Delhi, Feb 7 (IANS) In a first from Gujarat Chief Minister Narendra Modi, the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader Sunday complimented Home Minister P. Chidambaram and his officials for their "swift and positive" approach to fighting terror.

"The response of the home minister and home secretary is swift and positive whenever there is a demand from the states," Modi told reporters on the margins of the chief ministers' conference on internal security. 

The praise comes a day after Modi took a jibe at the central government over price rise. 

BJP leaders have been targeting the Congress-led United Progressive Alliance government for being "soft" on terror. 

The hostile attitude of "our neighbouring country", Modi said, has made "security an important issue which needs to be taken seriously". 

However, the Gujarat chief minister was critical of the central government for not giving the nod to his state's proposed anti-terror act - the Gujarat Control of Organised Crime (GUJCOC) Bill. 

Need stiff law to counter terrorism: Modi

New Delhi, Feb 7 (IANS) Gujarat Chief Minister Narendra Modi Sunday said India needed stringent laws to counter cross-border terrorism and criticised the central government for not giving the nod to his state's proposed anti-terror act.

"We need latest technology to strengthen our forces but we also need stringent laws to fight the challenge of terrorism from across the border," Modi told reporters on the margins of the internal security meeting held here. 

"India is a democracy and such laws will also protect human rights," he said.

Earlier, in his address to the chief ministers' conference, Modi said internal security threatened by organised crime and terrorism needed to be confronted with a strong resolve and it should not be limited to physically strengthening the law enforcement mechanism.

"Our policy decisions and laws to deal with such issues should have enough teeth. The biggest issue concerning internal security, to my mind, is lack of adequate legal provisions to support our efforts," he said.

Modi's remarks came in the backdrop of the central government's refusal to give its nod to the president to sign the controversial Gujarat Control of Organised Crime Act (GUJCOCA) passed by the state assembly.

Calling the decision of the central government to return the act as "injustice with Gujarat", Modi said it was only a xerox copy of a similar law in Maharashtra.

"The act has been passed by the state assembly with two-thirds majority. We sent it to the central government in 2004. But they have returned it. It is a similar copy of the Maharashtra act. Even commas and full stops are similar," he told reporters. 

Union Home Minister P. Chidambaram last week urged President Pratibha Patil not to sign the GUJCOCA, which has created bitter debate between the central government and the state. 

Chidambaram has raised objection over some points in the draft as he recommended deleting of two of its provisions. He said the home ministry has asked for the provisions to be removed from the bill, but the state has not responded. 

In his speech, Modi referred to the dossiers sent to Pakistan on the involvement of "people and state agencies" in the Nov 26, 2008, Mumbai terror attack.

He said the country should build its inherent strength and institutional mechanisms so that "we do not have to rely upon external forces to bring perpetrators of crimes against our people within our country to book".

"It is important that not only are we strong but are also perceived to be strong by subversive elements within and outside India," he said.

He said that the National Investigation Agency Act had powers of taking over investigation in FICN (Fake Indian Currency Note) offences and there was no need for asking the state governments to give general consent for Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) probe into such crimes.

"Did the government try to look at the track record of CBI in investigating offences which it is seized with?" he said.

Modi said the agenda for the conference did not include action taken on deliberations of previous meetings. He said his government was committed to building a mechanism to ensure that all criminal cases in the state were disposed off within 12 months.

Dark forces in Pakistan will not succeed: Chidambaram

New Delhi, Feb 7 (IANS) Cautioning that infiltration levels were on the rise in Jammu and Kashmir since the beginning of the year, Home Minister P. Chidambaram Sunday stressed that "dark forces" in Pakistan "will not succeed in their designs" to create turmoil in the state.

"Since the beginning of this year, there has been an increase in the number of attempts to infiltrate militants into India and in the number of encounters on our side of the border. So far, 16 militants have been killed and 16 more arrested," said Chidambaram while addressing chief ministers at the internal security conclave. 

Pointing specifically to the anti-India jehadi rally held on Thursday in Pakistan-administered Kashmir by the Jama'at-ud-Dawaah (JuD), a banned frontal organisation of the Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT) terror outfit, to express 'solidarity with Kashmir', Chidambaram said these groups were "implacably opposed to India". 

"It is clear that these groups are implacably opposed to India; their weapons are mayhem and violence; and their goal is forcible annexation of Kashmir. Let me make it clear: these dark forces will not succeed in their designs. We will defeat them whenever and wherever we confront them," said the home minister. 

Even Prime Minister Manmohan Singh stressed at the conclave that hostile groups operating from across the border were trying to perpetrate terrorist acts in India.

"The state of Jammu and Kashmir bears the brunt of the acts of these groups," said Manmohan Singh. 

Referring to Maoist violence, Chidambaram, echoing the words of the prime minister, said it remained a grave threat and was reflected in the rise in fatalities. 

"In consultation with chief ministers of Naxal (Maoist) affected states, we decided to boldly confront the challenge thrown by the Communist Party of India-Maoist. Consequently, there was a rise in the number of deaths in 2009 amongst civilians (591), security forces (317) and militants (217). As the security forces move forward to reclaim areas that are now dominated by the Naxalites, it is possible that this trend will continue in 2010 too," said Chidambaram. 

"However, I am confident that the state governments concerned will gradually gain the upper hand and re-establish the authority of the civil administration."

Chidambaram pointed out there had been no significant terrorist attack in the last 14 months, especially after the successful setting up of the Multi-Agency Centre (MAC), which analyses intelligence in real time, but said there was no room for complacency. 

"It is also a matter of satisfaction that there has been no significant communal incident during this period. That, I hasten to add, does not mean that there has been no violence or that we are not vulnerable to terrorist attacks; or that there are no triggers for communal disturbances," he said. 

"We must remain vigilant. We must continue the work on enhancing capacity. And we must reform our institutions and systems of governance in order to pre-empt terrorist threats and prevent communal discord." 

State governments reluctant to fill police vacancies: Chidambaram

New Delhi, Feb 7 (IANS) State governments have been acting reluctant to fill the yawning vacancies of police personnel, Home Minister P. Chidambaram said Sunday stressing that core policing was the key to fighting internal security challenges.

"It is universally acknowledged that in matters concerning security there is no substitute for putting more (police) men and women on the street. That is why I urge you to quicken the pace of recruitment to the police force in your states," Chidambaram told chief ministers at the internal security meeting held here. 

The home minister said that manpower remains "an acute problem" of police forces. 

He said the country had a little over 1.47 million police personnel till Jan 1, 2009, and it increased to 1.5 million by September last year, which is a "positive sign". 

"However, the flipside is the humongous vacancies in the sanctioned posts. As on Jan 1, 2009, there were 153,428 vacancies. It is expected to decline to 138,559 by March 31, 2010," he said.

"There is no reason why states should not press the accelerator on recruitment and fill the vacancies. In July 2009, we had commended to the states a new, transparent, technology-driven procedure for recruitment. Only a few states have adopted or indicated willingness to adopt the new procedure," he said.

He, however, said that "the real problem behind tardy recruitment is the failure to provide adequate funds under the head �police'". 

"In my view, the subject �police' does not receive the kind of budgetary support that is required to make the police force in the state a strong and effective instrument of security. I would urge chief ministers to recognise the priority that must be accorded to security and ensure that in the state budget for 2010-11 larger allocations are made for �police'." 

Need to clamp down on menace of fake currency: PM

New Delhi, Feb 7 (IANS) Prime Minister Manmohan Singh Sunday stressed that there should be no delay in investigating cases related to counterfeit currency and curbing the menace which has "serious implications for our economy".

"I would like to make a mention of the menace of counterfeit currency notes. There are indications that fake Indian currency notes are being printed and smuggled into India from outside our country," said Manmohan Singh in his inaugural address at the chief ministers conference on internal security here.

"There is obviously a need for a coordinated approach by the central and state agencies to tackle this menace (fake currency notes), which has serious implications for our economy," he said.

The prime minister regretted that there has been a "reluctance to register the first information report" in some instances of recovery of fake currency.

"This has to be avoided and all such cases must be thoroughly investigated. The states could also designate a nodal agency to investigate cases of seizure or recovery of fake currency notes and set up a state level committee for continuous vigilance in the matter, as has been suggested by the ministry of home affairs," he said. 

Recovery of fake currency notes is fairly common in India and efforts are underway to step up vigil along the porous international border in the northeast, which is turning into a major route for smugglers to push forged currency notes into India.