Chhattisgarh attack is announcement of war: BJP

The Maoist attack on Congress leaders in Chhattisgarh was an announcement of war, the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) said Tuesday and asked the ruling party at the centre to not politicise the issue.

"Congress should not do narrow politics on the attack. Congress should not try to indict the state government in this," BJP spokesperson Prakash Javadekar said. The BJP is the ruiling party in Chhatisgarh.

"We must take this attack very seriously, because in a way it is an announcement of war by Naxals. It is not just the case of a state, there can be more such incidents, this is a challenge for the nation," he said.

"It is an attack on democracy, an attack on our sovereignty. It should be seen as a national issue," Javadekar said.

Some Congress leaders, including former Chhattisgarh chief minister Ajit Jogi, have blamed the BJP-led state government for Saturday's attack, saying not enough security had been provided to the Congress leaders' convoy.

Javadekar said a commission under a sitting judge has been constituted to probe the attack.