Congress slams govt over Naxal violence Says demonetisation failed to contain terror strikes
NEW DELHI: After four personnel of Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) were killed and two injured by Leftwing Extremists in poll-bound Chhattisgarh's Bijapur district on Saturday, the Congress left no chance to charge both the government at the centre and the Bjp-led state government.
Senior party spokesperson Abhishek Manu Singhvi on Sunday claimed that the demonetisation did not help in any way to contain terror strikes.
Earlier this year, the Union Home Ministry claimed that Maoists have been steadily losing their hold over territories under their control.
While addressing a press conference here, the senior Congress spokesperson said the figures available suggest otherwise as more security personnel and civilians were killed in Naxal violence after note ban.
“Between 2016 and 2017, the Chattisgarh figures have jumped from 105-106 range to 130 and “it appears that this Sarkar at the centre, at the state, is only interested in Bhashanbaazi & Jumlebaazi,” Singhvi said.
In April this year, Union Home Ministry removed 44 districts from the list of those affected by Left Wing Extremism (LWE), indicating a shrinking of the area of Maoist influence in the country.
Post-demonetisation, home minister Rajnath Singh had also said meeting that choking the financial resources was the ‘most basic mantra' in the fight against Maoists.
The Congress leader said, “The honourable Prime Minister who is clueless about economics has brought economic ruin to this country; says on 31/12/2016 that “demonetisation has effectively neutralised Naxalism and terrorism.” Well friends, just Naxalism after demonetisation, less than two years ago, 30 major Naxal attacks, 120 security personnel killed, 150 civilians killed. I am talking about Naxal alone. On terrorism in Jammu and Kashmir over 70 incidents were reported after demonetisation. 120 security personnel martyred after demonetisation, 64 civilians killed after demonetisation. This dispensation, state and central are playing cruel jokes on the public of India.”
He further claimed, various schemes launched by the previous UPA government for Naxal-affected and backward districts were discontinued by the present government at the Centre just because they were implemented by a Congress
led dispensation.
He said while Home Minister Rajnath Singh can travel to Rajasthan for a political programme and the prime minister could visit Japan, they could not go to Chhattisgarh following the Naxal attack in Bijapur district which left four CRPF men dead. Chhattisgarh will go for polls in two phases on November 12 and November 20.
On the other side, no immediate reaction was available from the Prime Minister's Office on the allegations levelled by Singhvi at the press conference here.