Maoist menace serious challenge to democracy: Rajnath Singh

Raipur:  Calling Maoism a serious challenge to democracy, Union Home Minister Rajnath Singh on Sunday said the Centre was committed to extend every possible help to the Left Wing Extremism-affected states to root out the menace.

Singh made the statement while chairing a high-level meeting of Chhattisgarh police and paramilitary officials at the New Circuit House, a state public relations department official said.

Chief Minister Raman Singh was also present at the meeting.

"Naxalism is a serious challenge to the democracy. To root out the Maoist menace, the Centre is committed to extend every possible support to Naxal-hit states including Chhattisgarh," the officer quoted the Union Home Minister as saying in the meeting.

He further appreciated several schemes and development activities of BJP government in Chhattisgarh for improving education, health and employment, he said.

"The Union Home Minister stated that the morale of the forces deployed in the Left wing extremism-affected areas is high," the official said.

Mr Singh reviewed the counter-insurgency operations and strategies and development activities in the insurgency-hit areas.

Raman Singh said in the meeting that the Centre and the state were jointly making efforts to wipe out Maoism.

Senior Security Adviser to the Union Home Ministry K Vijay Kumar, Chhattisgarh Chief Secretary Vivek Dhand, Principal Secretary, Home, BVR Subramaniam and officials of Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) and the Indo-Tibetan Border Police (ITBP) were among those present in the meeting.