India will overcome Maoists soon, says Rajnath

Terming Maoists a "challenge to the nation", Home Minister Rajnath Singh Tuesday said the government would surely overcome the challenge as the country was united in the fight against Left-wing extremism.

Rajnath Singh, however, ducked a question on whether the army needs to be deployed in Maoist-hit areas to eliminate them.

"We are working on a strategy to deal with Maoists. Soon it would start yielding results," the home minister told reporters here.

Rajnath Singh spent the entire day in Chhattisgarh to boost the morale of paramilitary troopers, a day after 14 Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) personnel were gunned down in Sukma district.

Asked to comment on another intelligence failure in Chhattisgarh which resulted in the killings, he said: "It's not the time to indulge in charges and counter charges. Maoism is a challenge and the nation has to overcome it."

Rajnath Singh visited a private hospital in Raipur where 10 CRPF jawans were admitted after they sustained bullet injuries in Monday's attack in a forested patch in Sukma.

He also chaired a high-level meeting at Raj Bhavan to assess the attack.

Chief Minister Raman Singh and top officials of the state government and various security agencies attended the meet.

Meanwhile, the bodies of the 14 CRPF men were airlifted from Sukma to Raipur by two Indian Air Force Mi-17 choppers.

Rajnath Singh paid his last respects to the deceased personnel before the bodies were flown to their native villages.