Jharkhand chief minister Hemant Soren on Saturday said Naxalism was on its last legs and the morale of security personnel fighting the menace washigh.

“The lamp flickers violently before going out. Naxalism is also in that stage. The morale of the jawans is high. We also have Maoist problems in our state. We will certainly emerge victorious out of the situation,” Soren said during his visit to Puri to seek the blessings of Lord Jagannath and his siblings.

Soren’s statement comes at a time Odisha, Chhattisgarh and Jharkhand are on alert following the Maoist attack on the police force at Dantewada on Wednesday. The attack killed 10 jawans and a civilian driver.

Soren said: “Maoist problem is there in Odisha, Chhattisgarh, and Jharkhand. We are fighting against the menace jointly.”

About his Odisha visit, Soren said: “On Friday, I came to Odisha and today I am returning after the darshan of Lord Jagannath?”

“I went to KISS (Kalinga Institute of Social Sciences) on Friday. I was quite impressed to see how poor boys are getting an education there. I came to learn something about it so that we could replicate it in our state. The system can be introduced there. It’s quite an innovative and creative one. MP Achyuta Samanta is doing a lot,” he added.

During his visit to KISS, Soren expressed his desire to establish a similar institution in Jharkhand, citing the positive impact it could have on tribal communities in his state. He said extremism and many other problems faced by the tribals can be solved if an institute like KISS is established.

“KISS and Samanta will guide us in involving the tribal community in the development process,” Soren said.