Naxal attack in Chhattisgarh: A ‘political conspiracy’?
Nagpur: May 27: As expected the blame game over gruesome Naxal attack on the convoy of Congress leaders in Chhattisgarh’s Darbha Gahti in Sukuma has begun with the Congress and BJP trading charges against each other. The so called human rights-wallahs and left-secular bandwagon has also joined the chorus in denouncing the Chhattisgarh Government headed by Chief Minister Raman Singh. The Union Home Secretary R K Singh has sounded warning by saying that the attack took place due to ‘security lapses’. He also indicated that the NIA will probe the incident to nail those responsible for these ‘security lapses’.
Senior Congress leader and former Minister Mahendra Karma, who had launched the controversial ‘Salwa Judum’ movement to counter the Naxalites, was the main target. But all those who were either killed or injured in this brutal and dastardly attack belonged to anti-Ajit Jogi camp in Chhattisgarh Congress. Was this a mere coincidence? Or was it a ‘political conspiracy’ as claimed by the family members of the slain Chhattisgarh PCC Chief Nandkumar Patel? A thorough and impartial inquiry into this incident would bring the hidden truth behind this apprehension. But as for the present, it appears that the needle of suspicion in this conspiracy, if at all it is one, points to the former chief minister Ajit Jogi. The circumstantial facts, it seems, further strengthen this apprehension.
According to reports Umesh Patel, the son of Nandkumar Patel, has sought CBI probe into the incident suspecting a ‘political conspiracy’ behind this tragedy. Talking to press persons at his native village Nandeli, Umesh Patel said that the fact that Naxals were asking for senior party leaders by calling their names indicated that there was some political conspiracy behind the killing of his father, brother and other senior Congress party leaders including Mahendra Karma and Vidya Charan Shukla.
In Chhattisgarh state politics, Mahendra Karma, Nandkumar Patel, Vidya Charan Shukla et el were looked down by Ajit Jogi, who became the chief minister of the newly formed state with the blessings of Congress Chief Sonia Gandhi against the wishes of the senior party men, as his strong contenders and opponents. Vidya Charan Shukla had taken strong objection to Jogi’s elevation to the top post at the behest of Sonia Gandhi. He had said on record that Congress President Sonia Gandhi’s “obsession” with the Chhattisgarh chief minister Ajit Jogi, had led to suffocation in the party, at both the Centre and the State.
It may be recalled that Shukla was attacked on March 7, 2003 highlighting the bitter rivalry between him and Jogi and it was even presumed that the attack was ‘remote-controlled by Ajit Jogi’. Shukla had then criticized Sonia Gandhi for shielding Jogi. “Sonia has a closed mind as far as Jogi is concerned”, he had said in an interview to a news portal.
Mahendra Karma and Nandkumar Patel were also considered strong opponents and contenders to the post of chief minster should the Congress secure majority in ensuing assembly elections in the state. Jogi never missed a chance to let down both Karma and Patel. Karma was a tribal and was a very popular leader. Jogi even went to the extent of forging his caste to be known as an ‘Adivasi’. That he had to lose power for this corrupt practice was another story, but it showed to what level he could go down to for furthering his own interests. Nandkumar Patel belonged to OBC and he too was a popular and powerful leader. Both were eliminated in the naxal attack.
Was it a mere coincidence? Or, a well-planned conspiracy? The way Jogi shed tears and wailed as soon as he got the news of killings, appeared more like a drama than reality. He was the first to demand resignation of chief minister Dr Raman Singh and imposition of Central Rule in Chhattisgarh.
There is another angle to this entire episode. Jogi’s confident Kavasi Lakhma, Congress MLA from Konta, who accompanied Nandkumar Patel and his son Dinesh in a Scorpio, is a known sympathizer of Naxals. It is rumored that it was Lakhma who led all these people to death under a planned conspiracy. When the convoy was stopped by the Naxalites, and they began identifying the leaders by calling their names, Lakhma, when disclosed his identity, was let go by them. But they took Patel and others captives with their hands tied at the back.
Lakhma is known to have Naxalite connections. As his master Jogi was against Salwa Judum, Lakhma was also opposed to this step initiated by Mahendra Karma. He was also charged in extortion cases in the past. All the four leaders in the Congress Parivartan Yatra –Mahendra Karma, V C Shukla, Nandkumar Patel and his son were given security. But they were accompanied by followers in 22 vehicles. That was obviously a great number to pass through the tribal and naxal-dominated area of Sukma and Bastar.
Ajit Jogi fled the yatra by helicopter just before the function ended at Sukma. It was surprising that all those who were killed belonged to anti-Jogi camp in the state Congress organization. They were also known supporters of anti-Naxal campaigns. Ajit Jogi and his connection with the Christian missionary organizations is well known and well established. That the missionaries and Maoists work hand in glove in tribal areas was exposed following the brutal murder of Swami Laxmananda in Kandhmal in Odisha some years ago. There is, therefore, a need to have the inquiry done keeping this angle in mind.
The incident also exposed the bitter political rivalry within the state Congress leadership. It is now open secret that the Congress leadership had encouraged the Naxalites and allowed them to grow in tribal areas of the state. Congress always nurtured the Naxalites and never accepted that it was a grave threat to the security and integrity of the nation. The then Home Minsiter Shivraj Patil had directed the security agencies to adopt a ‘mild approach’ towards these Naxalites. The Congress strategy has been to precipitate a problem and then take credit for resolving it. The same tactics they have adopted in dealing with the Maoist menace in the country. Today the Maoists have spread their tentacles in over 200 districts of the country right from Pashupati (Nepal) to Tirupati (Andhra Pradesh) and yet the Central Government refuses to accept it as threat to nation’s security and integrity. The Congress leaders used to call them as ‘misguided youths’. This approach will have to be discarded forthwith to put an effective halt to such mindless massacres in future.
Naxal attack in Chhattisgarh: A
