Naxal violence is an attack on the ideals of India: Rahul

Congress Vice President Rahul Gandhi on Sunday termed the deadly Maoist attack on his party leaders in Chhattisgarh as an attack on democracy itself.

"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 with enthusiasm," Gandhi told reporters at the Raipur Congress Bhawan soon after his arrival around 2 am.

"I met V C Shukla and other injured leaders at a hospital. As soon as his condition becomes stable, he'll be sent to Delhi," he said.

"Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and Congress President Sonia Gandhi will also be visiting and meeting the victims this morning," Gandhi said.

Senior Congress leader Mahendra Karma was killed and former union minister V C Shukla injured on Saturday when heavily-armed Maoists ambushed a convoy of party leaders inside a dense forest in Chhattisgarh's Bastar district.

Responding to a question on the imposition of President's Rule in the state, the Gandhi family scion said, "It is not time to do politics".

"It is not time to do politics here. It's a very sad incident and we all have to stand by it together," he said.

In a statement issued on Sunday, Rahul Gandhi stated, "I condemn, in the strongest terms, the violent massacre by Naxals in Chhattisgarh.  In this time of extreme grief and tragedy, Congress workers of India stand firmly in solidarity with the families of our brave colleagues and security personnel who laid down their lives, as well as with all those who suffered injuries.  We stand firmly by the resolute and courageous people of Chhattisgarh.

"This is not an attack on the Congress workers or on the Congress party.  It is an attack on the ideals of India, founded on the bedrock of non-violence.  No force, howsoever brutal, can deter us through violent means.  Our nation shall never be deterred from working for the welfare and well being of all our people through peaceful, democratic and Constitutional means."

Shukla and other injured party leaders are undergoing treatment at the RamaKrishnaCareHospital.