Maoists now a top internal threat: India

India’s home minister says Maoist insurgents are the country’s top internal security threat even as traditional conflicts in Kashmir and the northeast have ebbed.Palaniappan Chidambaram was speaking Monday to a meeting of India’s chief ministers aimed at coordinating the country’s anti-terror efforts. He said the security forces’ fight against the Maoists in at least nine states was hampered by a lack of resources.Prime Minister Manmohan Singh also appealed to the state leaders to help strengthen the country’s defenses against terror.Many state leaders have rejected Singh’s proposal to set up a national counter terror center as a power grab by the central government. The government says it needs a center to implement a unified strategy.