Maoists biggest internal threat to India: Pranab Mukherjee

GULBARGA/ BENGALURU - Finance Minister Pranab Mukherjee has said that the Maoist menace is the biggest internal threat to the country.

“Of course, the Maoist menace and Naxalites activities are biggest threat to the internal security of the country, and therefore constant efforts are needed by both central and state government to tackle this problem,” said Mukherjee.

“We are providing from the centre all necessary steps including the supplementing of forces, state police forces by central paramilitary forces,” he added on the sidelines of a function in Karnataka’s Gulbarga district.

The Finance Minister also unveiled the centralised processing centre of the Income Tax Department in Bengaluru, to enable faster refunds to taxpayers.

“I do believe we must come to the part of fiscal administration, as early as possible, that’s why you have noticed in my budget proposals I have improved even the recommendation and the roadmap which the 13th Finance Commission gave for me, in respect of the fiscal deficit,” said Mukherjee.

“I do hope I will be able to contain the fiscal deficit to the target I have indicated in the budget,” he added.

When asked if any action would be taken against Congress MP and former Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister Y. S. Rajshekhar Reddy’s son Y. S. Jaganmohan Reddy, who defied the party orders and decided to go ahead with his planned ‘Odarpu Yatra,’ Mukherjee said party discipline was sacrosanct.

“Everybody is expected to obey the party discipline, and obey the order given to him or her by the party high command. If somebody frauds the direction and instructions of the party leadership, as per the party procedure appropriate action would be taken,” he added.

Reddy has defended his ‘Odarpu Yatra,’ (consolation march) in Andhra Pradesh’s Warangal region, which caused a lot of violence in the Telangana region. (ANI)