Nadda's Big Allegation: Congress Insiders Were Involved In 2013 Jhiram Ghati Naxal Attack; Baghel, Others React Sharply

Janjgir: BJP national president JP Nadda on Monday launched a scathing attack on Congress by alleging that some party members had roles in the 2013 Jhiram Ghati Naxal attack, which led to the killing of state Congress leaders. He was speaking at the 'Janadesh Parab' (people's mandate festival) at the Khokhra Police Ground in Janjgir-Champa district to mark the completion of two years of the BJP government in Chhattisgarh led by CM Vishnu Deo Sai.

On May 25, 2013, Maoists attacked a convoy of Congress leaders during the party's 'Parivartan Rally' ahead of the assembly elections in the Jhiram valley in Bastar, killing 32 people, including then state Congress chief Nand Kumar Patel, former leader of opposition Mahendra Karma, and former union minister Vidyacharan Shukla.

Nadda said the Congress governments used to collude with Naxalites, while the "double-engine" government under PM Narendra Modi confronted Left-wing extremism head-on.

Nadda was in charge of the BJP Chhattisgarh unit during the 2013 Jhiram Valley Naxal attack and closely witnessed developments related to it. "Today, I say this with great responsibility that no one else was providing information and confidential details about the Jhiram Valley incident. People from within were involved in getting their own people killed, and they were in contact with Naxalites. When protectors turn predators, the common people suffer the most," he said.

He said Congress's politics will no longer work in the country. "Going abroad and criticising the country has become Rahul Gandhi's agenda, even when Narendra Modi has been honoured with the highest awards by 23 countries, Rahul questions the airstrikes. Congress doesn't even know what the country needs. Rahul goes abroad and opposes India's airstrikes on Pakistan. Congress leaders don't know what tune the country wants to hear. It wants to hear the tune of nationalism, not the tune of selfishness," he added.

"You oppose Article 370 and triple talaq, you raise questions about Operation Sindoor? You have trouble expressing happiness over the construction of the Ram Temple? Rahul was born with a silver spoon. You are educated and from a privileged background. But when Parliament is in session, you go to Germany. When India and Modiji are being honoured, you start criticising both," the BJP leader added.

He said that ahead of the 2025 Bihar elections, Rahul conducted the "Voter Adhikar Yatra". "But we called it 'Save the Infiltrators Yatra'. Rahul travelled through 125 assembly constituencies, visited 16 districts, and after all his efforts, the Congress party only got six seats. They were completely wiped out, and the entire opposition was reduced to nothing," Nadda said.

He said a decisive action was taken against Maoism under the "double-engine" government in the Centre and the state, under CM Sai. He claimed that Naxalism has now been confined to a limited number of villages and districts in the state. "Nearly 2,500 Naxalites have surrendered in the last two years, 1,853 have been arrested, and top leaders such as Hidma and Basavaraju have been neutralised," he added.

Nadda alleged that Congress governments had maintained friendship and understanding with Naxalites, whereas the BJP government under the leadership of PM Modi launched a decisive strike to end the menace. "Under PM Modi's leadership, the double-engine government acted decisively, and under CM Sai's leadership, it was firmly implemented on the ground. In the coming time, Naxalism will be uprooted and eliminated," he said.

Taking a dig at the previous Bhupesh Baghel-led Congress government, he said, people still remember the corruption in administration, failure to deliver on its promises, and the appeasement policy. The biggest problem was an understanding with Naxalism, the BJP leader said, adding that the public had uprooted such an ineffective and deceitful government in the 2023 assembly elections and voted the BJP to power.

Congress Leadership Reacts Sharply

Top Congress leadership in Chhattisgarh reacted sharply to Nadda's allegations and said he had "insulted" the families of those who had lost their lives in the attack.

In a long post on X, senior Congress leader and former Chhattisgarh Chief Minister Bhupesh Baghel called Nadda's statement a "den of lies".

"Today, once again, by coming to Chhattisgarh, the BJP's 'puppet' national president has insulted the martyrs who lost their lives in the Jhiram incident. First and foremost, security agencies, including the NIA, should interrogate JP Nadda ji and demand evidence for his claims," Baghel said.

He said that Congress lost several of its leaders in the attack, and by accusing the party of collusion, Nadda was "insulting their martyrdom". "You should clarify: During the time of the Congress government in the state, when we wanted to find out who the conspirators behind the Naxalite attack were, why were you getting petitions filed in the courts to stop the investigation? Why didn't you want the conspirators to be identified?"

"You tell us, now that the alleged attackers of Jhiram are in custody, will there be questioning about the conspiracy? Fight the Naxalites, that's what we all want. The path on which Naxalism is shrinking today was paved by the Congress government itself. But why do you want to bypass it? For 15 years, your government was in power—why didn't you eliminate Naxalism then? Back then, the Naxalites were carrying out massacres. They were killing tribals. 700 villages had been emptied. And Dr Raman Singh ji was telling security advisor KPS Gill to take the salary and enjoy himself," Baghel's said in his post.

Chhattisgarh Pradesh Congress Committee chief Deepak Baij also slammed Nadda for his allegations. "I believe this is a political statement. Nadda should apologise to the families of those who were martyred in the Jhiram Ghati Naxal Attack," he said.

Baij reminded Nadda that the BJP government had been in power for 15 years in the state at the time of the Jhiram incident. He alleged that adequate security was not provided during the Parivartan Yatra (transformation march) during which the attack took place. He claimed that despite threatening letters being issued by the Naxalites beforehand, security was negligent.

Baij said that many Naxalites involved in the Jhiram incident "have surrendered today, yet they are not being interrogated about the conspiracy".

He asked the central government why it was not interrogating the surrendered Naxalites if it wanted to know the truth. Baij said that if the government was not taking the initiative, then Congress leaders should be permitted so that they can "uncover the truth".

State President of the Congress Media Department, Sushil Anand Shukla, termed Nadda's statement "extremely objectionable and shameful".

He demanded that the NIA should interrogate Nadda and clarify what evidence he has to support this statement. Shukla said that if Nadda has no facts to back up his claim, he should immediately apologise publicly, and the BJP should take action against him.

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