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Maoist rebels who are now active in almost a third of India represent more of a threat than Islamic terrorists, but will be defeated within two to three years, P Chidambaram, Indias Home Minister announced today.
It was the first time that an Indian official had either set a target for defeating the Maoists also known as Naxals or Naxalites or rated them a bigger threat to national security than Jihadist militants.
Mr Chidambarams comments came as his government deploys thousands of paramilitary forces in an unprecedented nationwide assault on the Naxalites, who have been fighting to overthrow the government since 1967.
The Home Minister told a media conclave in Delhi that the Maoists and Islamic militants represented the two biggest threats to Indias national security, but the former was the more serious.
Jihadi terrorism can be countered, usually successfully, if you are able to share information and act in real time, he said. But Maoism is an even graver threat.
Manmohan Singh, the Prime Minister, had previously described the Naxalites as the biggest internal threat to Indias security, implying that Pakistan-based militants represented the greater danger.
But India has suffered only one attack by suspected Islamist militants - a bombing in the western city of Poona which killed 12 people last month - since the devastating one on Mumbai in November 2008.
By comparison, Maoist violence claimed 908 lives in India in 2009, the highest since 1971, according to the Home Ministry.
Inspired by the radical leftist ideology of Mao Zedong, the Naxalites launched their rebellion following a peasant uprising in the village of Naxalbari in West Bengal in 1967.
Since then it has grown into a force of about 40,000 permanent armed cadres and 100,000 militia members who control a Red Corridor, consisting mainly of dense forest, stretching from West Bengal to the border of Nepal.
They have killed about 7,500 people since 1998, according to government figures, and held up billions of pounds of potential investment in remote areas rich in natural resources.
Indian security officials also believe that the Naxalites, who claim to be fighting for the rights of the poor, are now planning to expand their activities into major cities including Mumbai and Kolkata.
Mr Chidambaram said the Maoists had a presence in 200 of Indias 626 districts, were capable of striking in 84 districts and virtually dominated 34 districts.
"They have declared a war on the Indian state, he said. They are anti-development. They do not want the poor to be emancipated or become economically free."
He said the Government was willing to hold peace talks with the Maoists, if they renounced violence, but would continue to use force against them if they did not and would defeat them within two to three years.
"We are confident that before the term of UPA II (the Governments second term) ends, we will get rid of Naxals and will have considerably strengthened our security to face any threat," he said.
India sets target of three years to eliminate threat from Maoists - Times Online
It was the first time that an Indian official had either set a target for defeating the Maoists also known as Naxals or Naxalites or rated them a bigger threat to national security than Jihadist militants.
Mr Chidambarams comments came as his government deploys thousands of paramilitary forces in an unprecedented nationwide assault on the Naxalites, who have been fighting to overthrow the government since 1967.
The Home Minister told a media conclave in Delhi that the Maoists and Islamic militants represented the two biggest threats to Indias national security, but the former was the more serious.
Jihadi terrorism can be countered, usually successfully, if you are able to share information and act in real time, he said. But Maoism is an even graver threat.
Manmohan Singh, the Prime Minister, had previously described the Naxalites as the biggest internal threat to Indias security, implying that Pakistan-based militants represented the greater danger.
But India has suffered only one attack by suspected Islamist militants - a bombing in the western city of Poona which killed 12 people last month - since the devastating one on Mumbai in November 2008.
By comparison, Maoist violence claimed 908 lives in India in 2009, the highest since 1971, according to the Home Ministry.
Inspired by the radical leftist ideology of Mao Zedong, the Naxalites launched their rebellion following a peasant uprising in the village of Naxalbari in West Bengal in 1967.
Since then it has grown into a force of about 40,000 permanent armed cadres and 100,000 militia members who control a Red Corridor, consisting mainly of dense forest, stretching from West Bengal to the border of Nepal.
They have killed about 7,500 people since 1998, according to government figures, and held up billions of pounds of potential investment in remote areas rich in natural resources.
Indian security officials also believe that the Naxalites, who claim to be fighting for the rights of the poor, are now planning to expand their activities into major cities including Mumbai and Kolkata.
Mr Chidambaram said the Maoists had a presence in 200 of Indias 626 districts, were capable of striking in 84 districts and virtually dominated 34 districts.
"They have declared a war on the Indian state, he said. They are anti-development. They do not want the poor to be emancipated or become economically free."
He said the Government was willing to hold peace talks with the Maoists, if they renounced violence, but would continue to use force against them if they did not and would defeat them within two to three years.
"We are confident that before the term of UPA II (the Governments second term) ends, we will get rid of Naxals and will have considerably strengthened our security to face any threat," he said.
India sets target of three years to eliminate threat from Maoists - Times Online
