Government to call all-party meet on strategy against Maoists

The government has decided to call an all-party meeting to fine tune its strategy to deal with the Maoists in the wake of brutal attack on a Congress convoy in Chhattisgarh, Parliamentary Affairs Minister Kamal Nath said Monday.

Kamal Nath said after a meeting of UPA coordination committee here that political parties were being contacted for the all-party meeting.

The brutal Maoist attack May 25 killed 28 people including senior leaders of the Congress in Chhattisgarh.

"It is an attack on democratic system. All parties must be engaged," Kamal Nath told reporters after the meeting of constituents of United Progressive Alliance.

The UPA coordination committee meeting, which lasted almost 90 minutes, took place at the residence of Prime Minister Manmohan Singh.

Kamal Nath said that date of all-party meeting will be decided in consultation with other parties.

He said Maoist attack in Chhattisgarh was discussed in detail at the meeting.

"We cannot minimize what has happened in Chhattisgarh," he said.

Chhattisgarh Congress chief Nand Kumar Patel, his son Dinesh, party leader Mahendra Karma and former legislator Uday Mudliyar were among those killed in the Maoist attack in Sukma district.

The injured included former union minister Vidya Charan Shukla.

On a question about the food security bill, he said there was no discussion on the issue.

Asked if a special session of parliament will be called to discuss food security bill, the minister said all options were open to pass the legislation.