Bastar, Nov. 8 -- Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Sunday targeted previous Congress governments over their handling of Naxalism during their tenure, alleging that they treated the menace as an "incurable disease" and left it unaddressed, while asserting that the country witnessed a significant change in its fight against Maoist terror after 2014.

Addressing security personnel during his Diwali celebrations in Bastar, PM Modi said that between 2004 and 2013, the number of security personnel martyred every year was higher than the number of Naxalites killed, highlighting what he described as the lack of political will to tackle the problem.

"If you look at the figures from 2004 to 2013, you will find that every year, the number of our bra...