Aware of Maoists in northeast: Pallam Raju

Minister of State for Defence M M Pallam Raju said today the government was aware of the Maoists spreading their activities in the northeast and was taking steps to contain them.

Minister of State for Defence M M Pallam Raju said Wednesday the government was aware of the Maoists spreading their activities in the northeast and was taking steps to contain them.

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"We are aware of its (Maoism) spread in the northeast and we are taking all steps to contain it," Raju told reporters here on the sidelines of a Confederation of Indian Industry-organised event on defence communication technologies.

As far as the Maoist elements were concerned, these were definitely a threat to the nation. The government was working on containing them, he said.

Asked about reports of Chinese weapons reaching insurgents in the northeast, Raju said that forces inimical to India were trying to encourage the insurgents. But the government was taking steps to check them.

"Like any other disruptive elements in the country, there are inimical forces trying to encourage these (insurgency) elements. We are taking steps to check them at the beginning itself," he said.

Joint Intelligence Committee Chief Ajit Lal last month said in Shillong that there was evidence of the United Liberation Front of Asom (ULFA) having established linkages with Manipur-based secessionist rebel group People's Liberation Army and the Upper Assam Leading Committee of (Communist Party of India) CPI (Maoist).

Speaking at a workshop on 'Development Paradigms in the Northeast' in Shillong, Lal said the linkages between the northeast insurgents and the Maoists had come to notice in the last couple of years.