Chhattisgarh CM Raman Singh said Thursday that last Saturday’s Maoist carnage at Jiram Ghati in Bastar, where 29 people including several top Congress leaders were killed, “may be a fallout of increasing political activities” ahead of Assembly polls.
“The Maoists were rattled when political programmes like the BJP’s Vikas Yatra and the Congress’ Parivartan Yatra evoked a huge response from people in the Bastar region, particularly in the interior. They felt threatened and, in a knee-jerk reaction, may have carried out the carnage”, Mr Singh told reporters after Thursday’s all-party meeting here.
The CM said an integrated action plan will be in place soon to fight Naxals more effectively. “We are working on a comprehensive plan to deal with Naxalism, both on a short- and long-term basis”. But he also claimed Naxal attacks had declined considerably in the last three years, compared to previous years.
Asked about accusations and counter-accusations by the Congress and the BJP, the CM said: “A judicial probe has been ordered, and whoever is found responsible will not be spared, no matter what their position”.
Leaders at the all-party meet, that was boycotted by the Congress, unanimously called on the Centre to frame an integrated action plan, in coordination with Naxal-hit states, and tackle Maoism as a top national priority.