BJP alleges Congress maintained ties with Maoists and Rahul Gandhi fuels Naxalite sympathies.
NAC’s urban Naxals and UPA-II policy failures cited as reasons for prolonged insurgency.
BJP claims Naxal threat has declined under Modi, questioning Gandhi’s social media posts supporting urban Naxals.
The Bharatiya Janata Party on Saturday accused the Congress of maintaining a nexus with Maoists and claimed that its leader Rahul Gandhi continues to promote "Naxalite sympathies," describing the situation as a threat to national sovereignty.
According to PTI, the BJP launched a series of posts from its official X handle, alleging that the Naxal insurgency in India persisted for years and reached critical levels "largely due to policy paralysis" during the second term of the erstwhile UPA government.
A key factor behind this, the party claimed, was the influence of "urban Naxals" within the Sonia Gandhi-led National Advisory Council (NAC). "Leader of the Opposition (in the Lok Sabha) Rahul Gandhi continues to fuel Naxalite sympathies... The Congress-Naxal nexus is a threat to national sovereignty. It's time to hold Congress accountable and expose this dangerous alliance," the posts said.
Reported PTI, the BJP argued that while the Naxal threat has declined under Prime Minister Narendra Modi, "Naxalite apologists" remain entrenched in Congress leadership. The party cited newspaper reports to allege that whenever the government sought decisive action against Naxal violence, voices described as "urban Naxal" within the NAC raised strong objections.
"Since the NAC was chaired by Sonia Gandhi, the government frequently yielded to this pressure, resulting in the suspension or dilution of counter-insurgency operations—even during periods when Naxal activities were at their peak," the BJP charged. It further accused these advisors of promoting restraint while Naxalites "systematically destroyed" rural development in several regions between 2007 and 2012.
"While the Naxalites wielded guns and explosives in the jungles, their ideological cousins wielded influence in advisory councils blessed by the topmost Congress leadership. Most striking was the spectacle of India's then home minister publicly appealing to armed insurgents not to lay down their weapons, offering dialogue while they remained armed," the BJP said, posting a video clip of former Home Minister P Chidambaram’s remarks.
According to PTI, the party highlighted that under Modi, the influence of Naxalism has significantly declined, with a strategic, empowered approach from the Home Ministry. "For the first time, India has not only intensified operations but has publicly announced a timeline for effectively ending the Naxalite threat—a goal that now appears within reach," it added.
The BJP claimed that the number of affected districts has dropped from 180 at the peak in the late 2000s to 38 by 2024, concentrated mainly in the ‘Red Corridor’ across Chhattisgarh, Jharkhand, Odisha, Maharashtra, and Bihar.
The party also accused Rahul Gandhi of a "dangerous flirtation with Naxalite terrorism," claiming that he amplified a video featuring urban Naxals on his social media platforms following the neutralisation of one of India’s most wanted Maoist commanders, Madvi Hidma.
"What followed shocked the nation: individuals identifying as environmentalists organised protests outside Delhi's India Gate, raised pro-Naxal slogans supporting the eliminated terrorist, and assaulted security personnel," the BJP said, questioning whether Rahul Gandhi’s actions provided "institutional visibility and perhaps a tacit endorsement to such elements."
There was no immediate response from the Congress regarding the allegations.
(With inputs from PTI)
