Take stern action, BJP tells Nitish

The Bharatiya Janata Party has said the Nitish Kumar-led government should be “harsh'' and “take appropriate'' action against Maoists.

Responding to queries from reporters here on Sunday on Chief Minister Nitish Kumar describing them as part of society, BJP spokesperson Tarun Vijay said Maoists were “terrorists'' and needed to be dealt with appropriately.

“The Centre and the State should work together to deal with the crisis and even the Army should be called in, if need be,'' he said while hoping that the State government, too, would be tough towards the Left wing extremists.

Slams Congress

Accusing Congress president Sonia Gandhi, Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and his party colleagues of “sympathising'' with Maoists, thereby boosting their morale, Mr. Vijay said while Maoists were killing policemen in Bihar, the Congress was busy celebrating the appointment of Ms. Gandhi as party president for the fourth time.

“Ms. Gandhi has not offered even a word of condolence to the family of the policeman killed by Maoists.” Moreover, senior Congress leaders like Digvijay Singh and Mani Shankar Aiyar always criticised any move to be tough on Naxals, he said.

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