Calling for a unified approach to fight Naxalism, the BJP on Monday decided to send four senior leaders of the party to Chhattisgarh to meet the families of those killed in the recent Naxal violence.
The party delegation led by BJP president Rajnath Singh would comprise Leader of Opposition in the Rajya Sabha Arun Jaitley, general secretary and Chhattisgarh in-charge of the party J P Nadda and joint general secretary (organisation) Saudan Singh.
The decision was taken at a BJP Parliamentary Board meeting, where Nadda was specifically called to brief the top leadership on Naxal violence in the state. He spoke for about 15 minutes at the meeting that lasted for one-and-a-half hours. Saudan Singh was also told to attend.
Though the delegation was first told to reach the state on Tuesday, the plan was rescheduled to Wednesday as Chief Minister Raman Singh would be busy with a team of Union Home Ministry officials on Tuesday.
The BJP board meeting was convened on short notice. Besides Rajnath and Jaitley, BJP Parliamentary Party chief L K Advani, Leader of Opposition in the Lok Sabha Sushma Swaraj, former party president Murli Manohar Joshi, general secretary (organisation) Ram Lal and general secretary Ananth Kumar were present.
Former party presidents M Venkaiah Naidu and Nitin Gadkari, Gujarat Chief Minister Narendra Modi and party general secretary Thawarchand Gehlot were absent.
“We discussed the tragic Naxal attack on the Congress convoy. We condemn it and pay our tributes to the victims,” said Ananth Kumar, after the meeting.
He said the principal Opposition party had stood by the government of the day in its fight against terror in the past and would continue to do so. “Politics should not be allowed to be an impediment in fighting the scourge of Naxalism,” Kumar said.