BJP president accuses Congress of enabling 2013 Jhiram Valley Maoist attack through 'soft' Naxal policy and alleged appeasement.
Ambush killed 27, including senior Congress leaders Nand Kumar Patel and son; inquiry highlighted major security lapses.
Nadda credits Modi govt for reducing Naxal footprint; Congress calls it 'politicisation of martyrdom' and questions BJP's own record.
BJP national president JP Nadda on December 22, 2025, launched a scathing attack on the Congress party, accusing it of indirectly facilitating the deadly Maoist ambush in Chhattisgarh's Jhiram Valley on May 25, 2013, which claimed the lives of 27 people, including then state Congress chief Nand Kumar Patel, his son Dinesh Patel, and several senior leaders.
Addressing a public rally in Raipur ahead of the Chhattisgarh Assembly session, Nadda said: "The Congress government in Delhi at that time had a soft policy towards Naxalites. They were busy holding peace talks and releasing jailed Maoists, which gave the ultras the confidence to carry out such a barbaric attack. The blood of our leaders is on the hands of those who appeased Naxalites for votes."
The former Union Minister recalled that the Congress convoy was travelling without adequate security despite intelligence inputs, and alleged that then-Home Minister Sushilkumar Shinde and the UPA government failed to act on warnings. Nadda further linked the incident to Rahul Gandhi's recent statements on internal security, calling them "jumla" (empty rhetoric) and accusing the Congress of never treating Naxalism as a serious threat.
He contrasted the UPA era with the Modi government's approach, claiming that over 15,000 Naxalites have surrendered, more than 500 have been neutralised, and large parts of Bastar and Dantewada are now free of Maoist influence due to aggressive operations, road development, and welfare schemes under "double-engine" BJP governments in Centre and state.
The 2013 Jhiram Valley attack remains one of the deadliest Maoist strikes in Chhattisgarh's history. A judicial inquiry commission headed by retired judge Justice V.K. Agarwal had earlier pointed to serious security lapses, poor intelligence coordination, and inadequate protection for the Congress leaders' convoy. The BJP has repeatedly raised the issue in Parliament and state assemblies to target the Congress on its alleged "soft" stand on left-wing extremism.
Congress leaders in Chhattisgarh dismissed Nadda's remarks as "cheap politics" and "attempt to politicise the martyrdom of our leaders." State Congress president Mohan Markam said the party had demanded a thorough probe and justice for the victims, and accused the BJP of failing to eradicate Naxalism despite 11 years in power at the Centre.
