Maoists will be erased in two to three years: Rajnath Singh

Rajnath Singh at a function on the occasion of the 26th anniversary of the RAF in Lucknow. Pic/PTI

The long-drawn Maoist insurgency in the country will be "completely erased" in two to three years, Union Home Minister Rajnath Singh declared on Sunday. Addressing the 26th anniversary of the Rapid Action Force (RAF), a specialised wing of the Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF), the minister said the situation had changed and Maoists were now confined to only 10 or 12 districts.

Praising the CRPF's role in Maoist-affected areas, Singh said the 3.5 lakh-strong-force had neutralised 131 Maoists this year between January and September 20 and caught another 1,278.

'Kashmir will always be ours'
Jammu and Kashmir is a part of India and it will remain so and "no power in the world can snatch it from us", Union Home Minister Rajnath Singh said on Sunday. "Kashmir is ours and it will be ours," the minister said. "If some Kashmiri youths do things they should not because they are instigated by some people, you handle them properly as you feel they belong to our country," he added.

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