New Delhi: The Congress on Tuesday welcomed the Supreme Court order allowing the Chhattisgarh police to probe the May 25, 2013 Jhiram Ghati naxal attack and alleged that the BJP was involved in the conspiracy behind the ghastly incident.

The entire top Chhattisgarh Congress leadership including former union minister VC Shukla, state unit chief Nand Kumar Patel, senior leader Mahendra Karma known as “Tiger of Bstar” and others, was wiped out in the naxal attack when hundreds of naxals attacked a party convoy moving through Jhiram Ghati in Sukma district.

“We welcome the top court’s order. The NIA had been blocking the state police’s investigation into the conspiracy behind the Jhiram Ghati naxal attack. The dependents of the deceased had been waiting for justice all these years. Now, a proper investigation will take place and justice will be done,” Lok Sabha member from Bastar and Chhattisgarh Congress chief Deepak Baij told this channel.

“The Jhiram Ghati attack is the biggest political murder conspiracy in India since Independence. The BJP was involved in the conspiracy behind the ghastly attack. The BJP was in power when the incident happened. The movement of the naxals had been taking place in that area over the past seven or eight days. If such a large-scale movement of naxals was taking place, how come the state intelligence had no clue. Besides, the Congress party had requested proper security for its convoy moving through that area but state protection was withdrawn. The BJP government at the Centre had been trying to influence the probe since coming to power in 2014,” he said.

According to the Congress leader, the naxal attack had shaken the party leaders across the country and memories of the incident still persist. “Not only the state unit but the entire party had been shaken by the deadly incident. It took us a long time to recover from that shock and we have not been able to completely come out of it. The attack led to a big loss for the party and I don’t think it can be covered up ever. It was not easy to regroup the party after that incident but we did that and came to power in 2018,” said Baij.

According to the MP from Bastar, the hub of naxal menace, the party had been accommodating and promoting dependents of the leaders who were in the Jhiram Ghati attack including the sons of Nand Kumar Patel and Mahendra Karma who have been two-term MLAs and have contested this time as well.

The Chhattisgarh Congress chief, who recently reviewed the Nov 7 and Nov 17 polling in the state with senior leaders, claimed the party will do well in the Bastar area and form a government again. “In 2018, we won 11 out of the 12 assembly seats falling under the Bastar region. We will repeat the performance this time as well. This is because of the development done in the naxal areas by the Bhupesh Baghel government over the past five years. We will get around 75 seats and form a government again,” said Baij.