Both development,law enforcement needed to fight Naxalism: PM

Prime Minister Manmohan Singh said on Friday that both development and maintenance of law and order would be his government’s twin approach to fight the Naxal menace gripping several parts of the country.

“While a minimum enforcement of law and order is an essential pre-requisite,there should also be efforts for developing tribal and other under-developed areas,” he told a press conference before wrapping up his two-day visit to Pittsburgh to attend the G-20 summit.

The Prime Minister’s emphasis on twin-approach to address Naxal problem came a day after Home Minister P Chidambaram declared that the army would not be used in fight against Naxals.

Chidambaram had,on a visit to Maoist-infested Chattisgarh and Jharkand in central India yesterday,said: “Left-wing extremism is the gravest challenge to our way of life,our republic and our democracy.”