Janjgir, Chhattisgarh - Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) President J.P. Nadda has launched a scathing attack on the Congress party, alleging the involvement of party insiders in the deadly 2013 Jhiram Ghati Naxal attack that resulted in the deaths of numerous state Congress leaders. Addressing a gathering at the 'Janadesh Parab' event, commemorating the second anniversary of the Vishnu Deo Sai-led BJP government in Chhattisgarh, Nadda claimed that the previous Congress governments had colluded with Naxalites.
Nadda, who served as the BJP's in-charge for Chhattisgarh during the time of the attack, stated he had closely observed the developments. "Today, I say this with great responsibility that no one else was providing information and inside details about the Jhiram Valley incident. People from within were involved in getting their own people killed, and they were in contact with Naxalites," he asserted. He did not elaborate on the specifics of the alleged conspiracy or identify any individuals.
The Jhiram Ghati attack, which occurred on May 25, 2013, saw Maoists ambush a convoy of Congress leaders during their 'Parivartan Rally' in the Jhiram Valley of the Bastar district. The attack claimed the lives of 32 people, including prominent Congress figures such as the then-state Congress chief Nand Kumar Patel, former Leader of Opposition Mahendra Karma, and former Union Minister Vidyacharan Shukla.
Nadda further accused the Congress of attempting to obstruct investigations into the attack when they were in power in Chhattisgarh by filing petitions in court. He contrasted the alleged inaction of previous Congress governments with the current BJP government's approach, claiming that the "double-engine" government under Prime Minister Narendra Modi has decisively confronted Left-wing extremism. Nadda highlighted the surrender of nearly 2,500 Naxalites and the arrest of 1,853 in the last two years, also noting the neutralization of top Naxal leaders like Hidma and Basavaraju.
In response to Nadda's allegations, senior Congress leader and former Chhattisgarh Chief Minister Bhupesh Baghel vehemently denied the claims, calling them a "lie" and an "insult" to the victims of the attack. Baghel demanded that security agencies, including the National Investigation Agency (NIA), interrogate Nadda and demand proof of his claims. "We lost our leaders in the Naxalite attack. You are insulting their martyrdom by accusing them of collusion," Baghel stated. He also accused the BJP of attempting to stall the investigations when the Congress government was in power, at a time when authorities were trying to find those behind the attack.
