By IANS,
Raipur : Chhattisgarh has witnessed “two-and-a-half fold rise in Maoist violence” during the five-year rule of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), Congress leader and Union Minister of State for Home Sri Prakash Jaiswal said Tuesday.
The minister said during a press conference: “I ask this BJP government whether you have the right to remain in power as Maoists have fast developed this state as the base during your regime.”
The minister was on an election trip to the state that goes to polls Nov 14 and 20 to elect a new 90-member assembly. The Congress is locked in a straight battle with the BJP.
Jaiswal said: “This BJP government is mired in corruption from top to bottom. Chhattisgarh witnessed three-fold rise in corruption and two-and-a-half fold rise in Maoist violence.”
He added that Chhattisgarh’s BJP government always says that it’s difficult to tackle Maoist violence.
“If Congress comes to power in the state, we will show how to handle the Maoist violence, we will go Andhra Pradesh way which is now 80 percent free of Maoist problem,” he said.
He appreciated the Andhra Pradesh government.
“No one thought Andhra Pradesh will ever be able to get over Maoist problem, but it focused on development, held dialogue with insurgents and whenever required it came down heavily on rebels,” Jaiswal said.