Union Ministers V Narayan Sami, Jairam Ramesh and Charandas Mahant took pot shots at the State Government for kidding with the Naxal issue and its failure in providing security to Opposition Congress leaders during the Parivartan Yatra, resulting in the Darbha annihilation of the party's State leadership by Maoist insurgents on May 25 last. They also announced to start Parivartan Yatra soon.
The Union Ministers, addressing a press conference after presenting cheques of compensation from the Prime Minister's Relief Fund to victims of the Darbha Tragedy, charged the State Chief Minister with playing politics on payment of compensation, when a journalist drew their attention towards the statement of Dr Raman Singh in which he allegedly called it insult to martyrs, as the Congress leaders distributed the cheque of relief amount by calling the victims kin to Guest House instead of visiting their houses.
Talking to media persons, V Narayan Sami alleged that while the opposition Congress was doing its bit to make the people aware about the wrong doings of the State Government and had taken up the Parivartan Yatra to remove the 'corrupt' State Government, the BJP regime in the State totally failed to protect the life of opposition leaders. He also charged that despite the Centre providing all round help to the State -- whether it was helicopters, paramilitary forces or development funds -- there was no achievement in sight either on anti insurgency or development front. He also said the party would soon start the Parivartan Yatra that was stopped after the Maoist attack at Darbha. He, however, did not give any fixed date for the same.
Speaking on the occasion, Union Minister Jairam Ramesh termed the Darbha tragedy as not merely a mass murder, but also a ‘political conspiracy’, alleging that there were many organisations and ideologies which are not easy seeing Congress party coming to power in the State.
According to Ramesh, while Jharkhand and West Bengal have scored gains on anti-Naxal front, the situation in Chhattisgarh areas bordering Odisha, Maharashtra and Andhra Pradesh, was very critical as rebels have declared a liberated zone where even the State Government machinery, including police, does not have access. Unless the State police is strengthened, there would hardly be any achievement on the anti Naxal front in the State. Paramilitary forces can only assist the State police as regulating law and order was primarily the responsibility of the State, he added.
Earlier, Union Minister Charandas Mahant informed that Prime Minister Manmohan Singh has sanctioned Rs 5 lakh each for the dead and Rs 50,000 for the injured of Darbha tragedy from Prime Minister's Relief Fund. Total 26 people who had been killed in the Maoist attack on May 25 at Jeeram Valley near Darbha and 30 injured were given the cheques both at Jagdalpur and Raipur on Tuesday for which V Narayan Sami, Jairam Ramesh, AICC general secretary B K Hari Prasada and CGPCC acting president Charandas Mahant had come from Delhi