Congress Vice President Rahul Gandhi today 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 at about 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 yesterday 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.
Shukla and other injured party leaders are undergoing treatment at the Rama Krishna Care Hospital here.