PM and Sonia meet injured in Raipur hospital

Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and UPA chairperson Sonia Gandhi arrived in Raipur Sunday morning and visited those injured in Saturday's Maoist ambush in the Darba Ghati valley, in southern Chhattisgarh's restive Bastar region.

The prime minister met each of the injured in the hospital. He told reporters: "The first priority is that the injured get the best of medical facilities. We have all come here to fight."

He said the government would take firm action against the perpetrators of violence.

UPA chairperson Sonia Gandhi was visibly shocked by the killing of Congress leaders and other partymen, including drivers and security personnel, in the Maoist ambush about 35 km from Sukma in Baster region. She said: "I appreciate the courage and bravery of the Congress leaders in Chhattisgarh".

Congress vice-president Rahul Gandhi, who too arrived in Raipur in the wake of reports of the ambush of the Congress leaders' convoy, expressed shock over the attack on party colleagues by Maoists.

Rahul Gandhi later went to Jagdalpur to meet the other injured in the attack.

Reports from Jagdalpur said that the Congress party vice president met the injured along with other senior state-level party leaders.