By IANS,
New Delhi: The Congress Friday lauded Home Minister P. Chidambaram for his offer to step down owning moral responsibility for the massacre of 76 security personnel by Maoists in Chhattisgarh, saying his move should be seen as a “commendable act”.
“He has taken the moral responsibility. It should be appreciated as a commendable act. The prime minister has not accepted his resignation,” Congress spokesman Abhishek Manu Singhvi said.
Terming Maoists as “anti-nationals” and a “scourge,” the Congress said the government had a legitimate right to deploy its security forces to arrest and, if necessary, to neutralise them.
“It is time to stand by the security forces and boldly face the challenge by the anti-national forces,” Singhvi said.
He said violence had escalated after merger of two ultra-Left wing groups in 2004 into Communist Party of India-Maoist.
Referring to the Moist ambush in which 76 security force personnel were killed in forests of Dantewada Tuesday, Singhvi said it was a scourge and a blot on the fair name of India as a vibrant democracy.
He said the central government will assist the states in carrying out anti-Maoist operations to regain control over the territory and help the civil administration to boost development work in the insurgency affected areas.
Singhvi said paramilitary forces have shown great courage in the face of physical odds to achieve success but have also suffered setbacks.