Chhattisgarh Home Minister accuses Congress of fostering urban Naxalism in state

Raipur
In the backdrop of recent encounter killing 29 Maoists in Bastar, the Home Minister of Chhattisgarh, Vijay Sharma, has accused Congress leaders of promoting urban Naxalism through their statements regarding the Kanker encounter. Sharma asserted that these statements are detrimental to the morale of the security forces. Pradesh Congress President Deepak Baij’s questioning of the encounter and former CM Bhupesh Baghel’s viral statements on ‘fake encounter’ have exacerbated the situation, according to Sharma.
Furthermore, a significant security lapse occurred in Kavardha on Friday, where Sharma’s helicopter landed at an unauthorized location due to a lack of administration and police presence. Despite this, Sharma downplayed the incident as routine before the media.
Sharma criticized the Congress leaders for their remarks, alleging that they sow confusion among the tribals in Bastar. He emphasized that seeking forgiveness from the security forces is imperative; failure to do so will result in public resentment. Sharma dismissed the notion of a fake encounter, asserting that the soldiers’ moral integrity is unassailable. He accused Congress leaders of fabricating such claims for political gain, aiming to restrict other parties’ access to interior regions.
Targeting Congress directly, Sharma challenged them to explain discrepancies in casualty figures provided by the police and Naxal organizations regarding the encounter. Meanwhile, Deepak Baij demanded transparency from the government, alleging a pattern of tribal killings by the administration. Despite initial criticism, Bhupesh Baghel later praised the soldiers’ bravery in a statement issued seven hours after his initial remarks.
The Congress government, in its statement, hailed the security forces’ success in combating Naxalism in Kanker over the past five years. They emphasized their commitment to implementing robust policies to address the issue.
A video surfaced of Bhupesh Baghel alleging fake encounters under the BJP government, which he later clarified was unrelated to the Kanker incident.