Union Home and Cooperation Minister Amit Shah stated on February 8 in Raipur, “I was the Union Home Minister even during Bhupesh Baghel’s tenure. I can say without hesitation that the Congress government in Chhattisgarh patronised the Maoist movement. There is no reason for anyone to doubt this.” Anyone familiar with Amit Shah’s working style understands that he does not make statements without basis. It is certain that the Union Home Minister has concrete facts, on the strength of which he made this statement responsibly.
It is widely known that a horrific Maoist attack took place in Jhiram valley in Bastar, in which dozens of leaders were martyred, including Mahendra Karma and senior leader Nand Kumar Patel. In criminal investigations, special attention is paid to who gains the most after an incident. Following the Jhiram attack, the political vacuum within the Congress benefitted Bhupesh Baghel, who emerged as a frontline leader in the state and later got the opportunity to serve as Chief Minister (CM).
After the attack, Baghel, as the Congress president, repeatedly claimed that evidence related to the Jhiram attack was “in his pocket.” However, he never made this evidence public nor handed it over to any investigating agency. Congress leader Rahul Gandhi went two steps ahead by stating unequivocally in Bilaspur that the attack did not involve Maoists. By doing so, Maoists were effectively given a clean chit directly from the Congress leadership which provided further patronage to Maoists.
In Manpur-Mohla in the state, during a meeting held in the presence of a Congress MLA, a Maoist openly threatened to behead BJP workers if they came seeking votes. That threat was later acted upon. Terror was spread in the area, and the Congress went on to win from there.
Congress Rajya Sabha MP from Chhattisgarh, Ranjita Ranjan, in one of her statements had said that not all Maoists are bad or wrong. Former Uttar Pradesh Congress president Raj Babbar described Maoists as revolutionaries. When dreaded Maoist Hidma was killed, former CM Digvijaya Singh reposted a social media post by a suspicious woman and raised questions over the encounter. That woman was seen wailing loudly over the body of terrorist Hidma, which further exposed the nature of her links with Maoists. Even today, when the Centre and states with double-engine governments are jointly fighting the final battle against Maoism, statements supporting Maoists continue to be elicited from the Congress. In April 2024, security forces achieved their biggest success till then by eliminating 29 Maoists in Kanker district. Bhupesh Baghel was the first to come forward to label this encounter fake, despite Maoists themselves issuing a press release naming the 29 killed.
There are dozens of such examples where the Congress has attempted to weaken the fight against Maoism. Even after losing power in Chhattisgarh, statements supporting Maoists are now being issued from Telangana. In September 2025, Telangana CM Revanth Reddy described Maoism as a “philosophy” that “cannot be eliminated by force.”
Does Congress Care?
As HM Amit Shah pointed out, if Maoism were a result of underdevelopment, then more than a hundred districts in Bharat that were poorer than Bastar would have witnessed its spread—but they did not. Even if it is accepted that Maoist terror arose due to economic inequality or exploitation, responsibility still lies with the Congress. Bastar was kept as a colony of exploitation and oppression during Congress rule in undivided Madhya Pradesh. Congress ruled Maharashtra, Odisha, undivided Bihar, and West Bengal during periods when Maoism took root. Naxalbari, where Kanhu Sanyal and Charu Majumdar initiated this bloody movement, was also under Congress rule at that time. In Jharkhand, Congress’s ally Jharkhand Mukti Morcha even gave tickets to Maoists, enabling them, with Congress support, to enter the Lok Sabha and state assemblies.
Bhupesh Baghel’s response to Amit Shah further appears to validate this patronage. The former Chief Minister stated that Maoism would be considered finished only when paramilitary forces are withdrawn and security provided to public representatives is removed. There can hardly be a more insensitive statement. Does Baghel want security forces withdrawn so that tribals can once again be left to die or public representatives to be left unprotected so that remnants of Maoists can once again spill blood and strengthen their base?
This insensitivity was evident even during Baghel’s tenure. In April 2021, when 22 security personnel were martyred in a Maoist attack in Bijapur, Baghel was busy campaigning in Assam. Amit Shah, on the other hand, left his Assam campaign the same night, came to Chhattisgarh, held high-level meetings in Raipur, reviewed security arrangements, and ensured medical care for the injured. Meanwhile, Baghel was attending a dinner party in Assam with the then Bastar MP and Congress president Deepak Baij. Shockingly, photographs of which were shared on social media from the Congress president’s official handle.
By talking about withdrawing security forces, is Congress General Secretary Baghel seeking a return to the period after the Supreme Court halted Salwa Judum, when tribals were selectively killed? It is relevant to recall that Salwa Judum was initiated under the leadership of Congress leader Mahendra Karma. After the court terminated Salwa Judum, the Congress became so grateful that it later made the judge associated with that verdict its vice-presidential candidate. Large numbers of vanvasis—who had lost hands, legs, eyes, and family members to Maoist violence—travelled to Delhi to oppose this candidacy. Yet the Congress remained unmoved and fielded the former judge as its alliance candidate with pride.
The Congress leadership never missed an opportunity to rub salt into the wounds of Maoist victims. Even when defeat was certain, fielding such a candidate was effectively a message to its “handlers” that its “hand” stood with terrorists.
After decades of suffering, Bastar now awaits a new dawn. Development is replacing explosives. Bastar Pandum festivals are being celebrated. The era of bloodshed is receding, and Bastar Olympics are being organised. In such a situation, the Congress must accept that there is no place for violence in a democracy. By patronising various forms of terrorism across the country, the Congress has repeatedly burnt its own hands—be it Punjab, Tamil Nadu, or Maoism. At the very least now, the party must choose the Constitution, democracy, and peace over terror and petty politics.
