Despite BJP being in power in Chhattisgarh for over a decade-long tenure, now just a few days before the state election, it seems like UP BJP Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath took the course of blame game over Congress for shamelessly glorifying Naxals as revolutionaries. However, the question arises that is it just another electoral strategy of the party to cover up their failed promises in the state?
Addressing a public rally in Bhillai, Yogi Adityanath launched an attack on Congress for spreading Naxalism in Chhattisgarh and making a breeding ground for the Naxals in the state. He said, “Congress is shamelessly glorifying the Naxals as revolutionaries. Congress’s culture is just to promote loot, Naxalism and corruption.” Hailing the current Raman Singh-led government in the state, he also claimed that the welfare programmes have benefitted the state public, who according to him, were now looking forward to re-electing BJP in the upcoming assembly elections.
BJP Chhattisgarh legislator Kera Bai Manhar exclaimed “Whatever Yogi Adityanath has said, is absolutely correct. The intensity of violence by the Naxals had increased during the Congress rule; after coming to the power, our government has taken all the efforts to eradicate Naxalism from the state and have managed to control it to a large extent. Congress might have used this issue as a political tool but we have always been on action against the violence. The way we have successfully eradicated Naxals from few most affected areas, the entire state under the BJP government rule will be free from Naxalism very soon.”
On Saturday, the last day of campaigning for the first phase of the Chhattisgarh polls, BJP president Amit Shah and Chief Minister Raman Singh released the party’s manifesto in Raipur with a special focus on farmers and youth. During the release, Shah praised the state government for transforming Chhattisgarh in the past 15 years, adding that it has worked tirelessly to eliminate Naxalism from the state. “Chhattisgarh was the first state to have a legislation on skill development. Raman Singh government has made Chhattisgarh almost free of Naxalism,” Shah said.
Apart from that, Adityanath continually accused Congress of creating obstacles in the path of development and ignoring national interests. “Congress always creates obstacles in development. They are the biggest obstacle even in the construction of the Ram Temple. Congress is only interested in vote bank politics and has completely ignored national interests,” he said.
NCP legislator Prakash Gajbhiye stated, “BJP has come to the power both at the centre and in the states with the help of lies and they have continued doing the same throughout their tenures. The entire 2014 election manifesto of BJP is still waiting to be fulfilled. Deaths have increased in the border and Naxal areas than before. Despite being in power, I am clueless what’s stopping them to take steps to stop these incidents. The party must go beyond using religious and caste polarisation as poll tools and start using science-technology for the development of the nation in the true sense.”
However, it is experts’ belief that not just the ruling party but no political party wants to eradicate issues like Naxalism, Ram Mandir, and many more considering the only never-ending topics to sustain the political war in the nation and draw away the attention targetting the sentiments for the vote bank.
Chhattisgarh goes to polls in two phases; voting for 18 seats will be held on November 12 and the remaining 72 constituencies on November 20. The results will be announced on December 11.
By Moumita Mukherjee & Twinkle Mehta
