Raipur, Dec 22 (IANS) Chhattisgarh politics plunged into a fresh debate on Monday after BJP National President and Union Health Minister JP Nadda alleged internal Congress collusion in the 2013 Jhiram Ghati Maoist attack that wiped out the party's top state leadership.
The claim, made during the 'Janadesh Parab' celebrating two years of the Vishnu Deo Sai government, provoked sharp rebuttals from Congress leaders, including former Chief Minister Bhupesh Baghel.
Addressing a large gathering at Khokhra Police Ground in Janjgir-Champa, Nadda claimed movement details of Congress leaders were leaked from within the party, enabling the ambush that killed leaders like Nand Kumar Patel and Mahendra Karma.
He accused Congress of historical proximity to extremists while asserting the current "double-engine" government would eradicate Maoism by March 2026.
In 2013, an ambush on May 25, 2013, targeted a convoy of Congress leaders during the party's 'Parivartan Rally' ahead of assembly elections in the Jhiram valley, Maoists killed 32 people, including then-state Congress chief Nand Kumar Patel, former Leader of Opposition Mahendra Karma, and former Union Minister Vidyacharan Shukla.
Chhattisgarh Congress President Deepak Baij called the remarks "factually wrong and deeply insensitive," reminding that the BJP ruled the state in 2013 and allegedly ignored intelligence inputs.
He demanded public questioning of the surrendered Maoists to uncover the truth.
Former Chief Minister Bhupesh Baghel went further, terming Nadda a "puppet" and accusing him of insulting the martyrs.
In a strongly worded statement on his X handle, Baghel said, "JP Nadda has once again come to Chhattisgarh and demeaned the sacrifice of those who died in Jhiram. Security agencies, including NIA, should interrogate him and seek evidence for his allegations. We lost our leaders in the Naxal attack—calling it collusion is an affront to their martyrdom."
Baghel posed pointed questions, "When the Congress government sought to identify conspirators, why did the BJP obstruct probes through court petitions? Now that the alleged attackers are in custody, will they be questioned about the conspiracy?"
He credited his government's policies for weakening Naxalism and asked why the BJP's 15-year rule failed to eliminate it, when 700 villages were deserted, and tribals were being massacred, while then-CM Raman Singh reportedly told security advisor KPS Gill to "take salary and relax.
Amid the row, the event showcased government achievements: expansion from one to 11 medical colleges (four more upcoming, including Janjgir-Champa and Dantewada); Mahtari Vandan Yojana empowering 70 lakh women with Rs 1,000 monthly transfers; upcoming Mahtari Sadan for self-reliance; and 1,985 daily houses built under welfare schemes.
Nadda thanked voters for rejecting Congress's "corruption and misgovernance" in 2023, hailing developmental strides under PM Modi and Home Minister Shah.
--IANS
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