The Congress on Thursday demanded resignation of Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis over the Naxal attack in Gadchiroli and hit out at the Centre for “repeated intelligence failures”.
At least 16 people, including 15 security personnel, were killed in an Improvised Explosive Device (IED) blast triggered by Naxals in Gadchiroli district on Wednesday. The blast followed the rebels torching 25 vehicles belonging to a road construction contractor earlier that day.
“The Modi government has been an abject failure on national security front. Repeated intelligence failures and inaction are the sordid stories of the Modi government’s anti-Naxal policy,” said a statement issued by Congress spokespersons Rajiv Shukla and Ragini Nayak.
Ms. Nayak alleged that India’s internal security has been compromised under the Narendra Modi government. “It’s a welcome step that Masood Azhar has been declared a global terrorist by the international community, but it is extremely sad that the Naxal attack in Gadchiroli, which took away 16 precious lives, did not get the requisite attention that it deserved in the national discourse,” she said.
“In the last few years, there had been several big attacks on police and security personnel in which over 150 people died. Such attacks point to a glaring failure of the Modi government and the BJP-led Maharashtra government in managing the menace of Left-Wing extremism,” the Congress said.
Ms. Nayak claimed that in the last five years, 1,086 Naxal attacks have taken place in which 391 jawans and 582 civilians lost their lives. “The Modi government made tall claims that funding of Naxal activities would be completely curbed by demonetisation. But the stark reality is that 469 Naxals attacks have taken place post-demonetisation in which 178 jawans have been martyred and 135 civilians have been killed,” she said.
PM Modi has failed to secure India and the BJP will be voted out, Nayak claimed. The Congress also hit out at Mr. Modi for his remarks that the grand old party hates him, saying it is the most “detestable, unworthy, uncouth statement a Prime Minister could have made for garnering cheap political brownie points”. “It displays the utter nervousness and anxiety which PM Modi is feeling in the heat of the elections after four phases,” the party said.
