BJP general secretary P Muralidhara Rao has described the Maoist attack on Congress leaders in Chhattisgarh as a war on the state, its Constitution, parliamentary democracy and the unity of the country.
Speaking to mediapersons here on Monday, he recalled that the Maoists were saying time and again that they were fighting a ‘protracted war’ on the state of India, by first encircling and capturing villages and then moving to cities and thereby capturing state power through ‘barrel of the gun.’ It should not be seen as a localised issue or a law and order problem of any particular state, he said.
Rao said the Maoists had indulged in similar acts of violence in the past. “In 2003, the Maoists attacked the then chief minister N Chandrababu Naidu and injured him critically. The ultras carried out a similar attacks on CPM leader and the then West Bengal chief minister Buddhadeb Bhattacharya in 2008. The left-wing extremists may target leaders of different political ideologies but their objective is always the same _ waging war on the nation,” he said. He said that in Chhattisgarh, chief minister Raman Singh was facing a war-like situation. “The BJP appreciated the resolve shown by the Chhattisgarh government in fighting this menace. The entire nation stands by the chief minister and his government,” he said.
Welcoming the judicial probe ordered into the Chhattisgarh killings, he said that the central and state governments should conduct joint operations to wipe out the Maoist menace. Simultaneously, he said, the governments should also take up socio-economic development of all Naxal-affected regions to wean away the people there from Naxalite influence.
“For the last few years people in rural areas have been facing unprecedented hardships due to complete devastation of rural economy. Agriculture has become extremely unviable and its allied activities have been seriously affected. In such a situation, people are feeling absolutely helpless and frustrated. This, in turn, prepares a fertile ground for breeding of Maoist activities,’’ the BJP leader pointed out.
He demanded formulation of a new policy framework to revive agri-based economy and to incorporate people from the unorganised sector in the development process. “The BJP realises this to be an imminent step in containing Maoism from flourishing and the party will put in all efforts in this direction,” Rao said.