Chg polls: Rahul attacks BJP govt on naxal issue

Raising the pitch ahead of the assembly elections in Chhatisgarh, Rahul Gandhi today accused the ruling BJP of failing to act against naxalism, claiming former PCC chief Nand Kumar Patel was killed in the Bastar ambush to stop him from becoming Chief Minister.
He said the Chhattisgarh government was responsible for the killing of many Congress leaders in the deadly naxal ambush on May 25 this year.
"Nand Kumar Patel was going to become to the Chief Minister of Chhattisgarh. Nobody could have stopped him. Only one way to stop him was by killing him," Gandhi said.
"Their (BJP) people say they are against terrorism but when the entire Congress leadership was wiped off, was any action taken by the state government ?" he asked.

Addressing his first rally in Rajnandgaon, the home constituency of Chief Minister Raman Singh, Gandhi struck an emotional note by reminding voters about the sacrifices made by those killed in the attack.
Alka Mudliyar, wife of slain legislator Uday Mudliyar, has been fielded against Raman Singh from Rajnandgaon.

The Maoist attack on the convoy of Congressmen in Darbha valley of Bastar had left 29 people dead including Congress leader Mahendra Karma, Patel and former Union minister VK Shukla.
Gandhi also attacked the government on the issues of corruption, unemployment and poverty.
"Chhatisgarh is rich in land, resources.. But people are poor. The BJP government says it has developed the state. What kind of development they talk about. Youth are not getting employement, not getting education.. Maoism is omnipresent in Chhattisgarh... How is it doing well?," he asked.

Addressing another rally at Kanker, Gandhi lashed out at the BJP government in the state for "snatching" the rights of people, especially tribals.
He accused the Raman Singh government of only furthering the interests of industrialists who were taking away the land of the tribals.