Bhopal: BJP national president Amit Shah on Saturday declared that Chhattisgarh is “almost Naxal-free” due to the efforts of the ruling BJP and targeted the Opposition Congress, saying a party which thinks that the rebel movement is a medium for revolution can never do any good for the state.
Addressing an election meeting at Rajnandgaon in Chhattisgarh, Mr Shah said incidents of Naxal violence have witnessed a downward trend in the past several years and credited the Raman Singh government for developing the state as a hub of power and cement production. He also credited the state government for helping Chhattisgarh get rid of the “sick state” tag.
“Chhattisgarh is now almost Naxal-free,” he said, releasing the party’s manifesto for the state where the BJP has been in power for three successive terms, since 2003.
Figures on Naxal violence and casualties in the Bastar region indicate that over the past three years more rebels have been killed in the state as compared to security personnel. In 2016, 222 Naxals were gunned down while the security forces lost 65 men in operations against the rebels. In 2017, 150 Naxals were killed as against 74 security personnel. In 2018, so far 21 Naxals have been killed as compared to 16 jawans. At the peak of Naxalism in 2010, 277 security personnel were killed as compared to 172 Naxals.
Mr Shah blamed previous governments under the Congress for failure to curb the Naxal insurgency and neglecting the region.
“Chief minister Raman Singh has launched determined efforts to free the entire Bastar region of the Maoist problem,” he said, adding, “Bastar will develop very fast once the region is free of insurgency problem completely.”
Attacking the Congress, Mr Shah said, “A party that feels Naxalism is a medium for revolution cannot do any good for Chhattisgarh.”
Mr Shah was referring to Uttar Pradesh Congress president Raj Babbar’s remarks last week in which he had reportedly said that Naxals have launched a “revolution” that cannot be stopped through guns and the issue should be resolved through talks.
Mr Shah said that for the BJP, revolution means providing gas connections, electricity, education, employment to the poor and deprived sections of the society.
“The Congress ruled the country for 55 years, but it is the BJP which is working hard to ensure that the fruits of development reach the last person in society,” said Mr Shah.
As many as 18 Assembly constituencies, including Rajnandgaon from where chief minister Raman Singh is seeking re-election for the third time, are going to polls in the first phase of elections in Chhattisgarh on November 12. Campaigning for the first phase of voting came to an end on Saturday. The rest 72 seats will go to polls in the second phase of voting on November 20.
