The Congress on Monday mourned the loss of entire leadership of the party in Chhattisgarh by holding a prayer meeting at AICC headquarters on Monday that was attended by Congress president Sonia Gandhi, vice president Rahul Gandhi and other senior Ministers. The party is now facing the tough task of resurrecting leadership in the Naxal-affected State before the Assembly poll scheduled by the year-end.
The Naxal attack, which killed 27 persons including PCC president Nand Kumar Patel and his son, former Home Minister and Salwa Judum founder Mahendra Karma and critically injured veteran leader VC Shukla, has left the party totally devastated. “We have lost the Assembly elections even before it has happened,” a party leader said summing up the mood in the organisation.
The frustration has led to anger against the BJP Government of Chhattisgarh which was given vent by Minister of State in Prime Minister’s Office V Narayansamy. He squarely blamed the Raman Singh Government for not providing adequate security to the Congress’s Parivartan Rally despite knowing about the participation of senior leaders in it.
Narayansamy, who as former AICC in-charge of Chhattisgarh had in the past visited the State extensively, faced tough questions about whether the Congress still thinks that Naxals are misguided youth and they should be treated in soft manner. Though initially hesitant, he retorted in the end that naxalism and terrorism are equal menace and strong measures must be taken to check them.
Another senior leader said that the party will soon start working on identifying and appointing new leaders in the Atate as Assembly elections are just few months away.
But with most of the senior leaders being dead, the Congress High Command has the tough job to groom new leaders in this short span and ensure that they work at full force, sources said. They charged that it was not a simple attack by Naxals based on ideology, but a full fledged conspiracy to wipe out the Congress leadership and said that a proper investigation must be conducted.
Absence of Home Minister SushilKumar Shinde at the prayer meeting held at Congress, headquarters 24 Akbar Road after a long gap as the last one was held in 2001 when the then Union Minister Madhav Rao Scindia had died, also raised eye brows. However, External Affairs Minister Salman Khurshid defended his Cabinet colleague saying that despite being away Shinde has done the work and entrusted the investigation to NIA and even notification has been issued.
Congress General Secretary Janardan Dwivedi said that that there is "sorrow as well as anger" in the hearts of Congressmen over the incident as some more of its leaders have got martyrdom. But one should never have fear while working for the welfare of the society, he told the gather which included Defence Minister A K Antony, Petroleum Minister M Veerappa Moily and Minister of State for Parliamentary Affairs Rajiv Shukla.