Naxalism Still a Challenge in Some MP Districts: Gupta

Madhya Pradesh Home Minister Umashankar Gupta on Sunday said that the Naxalism posed a huge challenge to the state and accused the Centre of not paying due importance to the issue.

Speaking to correspondents in Ratlam, Gupta said that Naxalism still poses a threat in some districts in the state. He however, lamented that the issue was not regarded as important by the Centre.

Her said that the central government wanted to withdraw a battalion of Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) currently deployed in Balghat, close to Rajnandgaon district of Chhattisgarh.

He said that the Centre only reconsidered the withdrawal after Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan had wrote to the Union Ministry advising against such a move as the Naxal problem was still serious in that district.

Gupta said the state government has taken various steps to check the Naxals’ movement in the districts, adjoining Chhattisgarh.