Congress leaders visit Maoist attack victims

Rattled by the Maoists attack in poll-bound Chhattisgarh, top Congress leaders including Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, Congress chief Sonia Gandhi and party vice-president Rahul Gandhi visited the State on Sunday.

Asserting that the country will never bow before Naxalism, Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, who was addressing party workers at Congress Bhavan in Raipur said, “We will pursue the perpetrators of this crime with urgency and I can assure the nation that the Government is committed to bringing them to justice.”

“Our leaders... have sacrificed their lives. However, our country will never bow down before Naxalism,” he said.

Ms. Gandhi appreciated the courage and bravery of the leaders after visiting the injured in hospital.

“This is a cowardly act on the part of Maoists. It is not an attack on Congress or its leaders, but an attack on democratic values,” she said while expressing grief at the loss of lives.

Mr. Gandhi, who arrived here in the wee hours, said, “It is not an attack on Congress. It is an attack on democracy. But, we’ll not fear from such an attack and continue to move forward.”