Chhattisgarh Chief Minister Raman Singh has termed Naxalism as the greatest threat to the security of the country and said that unless a National Level Integrated Action Plan was formulated and implemented, the menace could not be contained.

Singh said Naxalism affected about 140 districts of 16 states, posing a major threat to the nation, but the problem was being dealt symptomatically with no measures to root out its cause.

He said unless a programme is launched at the national level with short term, mid-term and long term measures, nothing concrete could be achieved.

He said that states need roads and industries for development and providing employment to the people which could go a long way in containing Naxalism.

Reacting sharply to the criticism that the Salwa Judum movement is exposing defenceless tribals to Naxal violence, Singh said it was a non-violent people's movement being run on Gandhian philosophy. The people were staying in shelters as they feel more secure in them, he said.

Asserting that neither the government nor any political party has anything to do with Salwa Judum, he said that people of the state have realised that they could not progress unless Naxalism was controlled.

''People in tribal areas are still living in eighteenth century. They want schools, hospitals and other facilities which they are not getting due to Naxals. So they have stood up against them. No political party could lead a procession of 10,000 tribals in one go.

It is the self-realisation of the people that they have come up to oppose Naxalism,'' he said.