On Board Air India One, Sep 23 - The government is yet to take a firm view on using special forces against the Maoist rebels whom Prime Minister Manmohan Singh has called the 'gravest threat' to the country's internal security.

According to a top official, a major problem the government was facing while dealing with leftwing radicalism was the tacit support the movement was getting from the civil society and NGOs.

As a result, the official said, the views expressed by Home Minister P. Chidambaram, who has indicated the use paramilitary commandoes to flush out Maoists, were being discussed but no decision had been taken as yet.

'The home minister said we 'may' employ special forces. Of course, what the home minister said will have a major impact,' the official said on condition of anonymity during an informal chat with journalists accompanying the prime minister on way to the G20 Summit in Pittsburgh.