Armed Naxalites eliminated, but 'dimagi Naxals' remain active, says Nitin Nabin

Raigarh: BJP president Nitin Nabin on Sunday urged people to remain alert against "dimagi Naxals", alleging that some of them held leadership positions in various organisations, and said his party's government will teach them a lesson through its work and welfare schemes.

He was virtually addressing a Janjatiya Gaurav Diwas event at Dharamjaigarh town in Chhattisgarh's Raigarh district, marking the birth anniversary of tribal freedom fighter Birsa Munda.

Nabin was scheduled to attend the event in Dharamjaigarh, but his aircraft could not land due to adverse weather conditions, following which his visit was cancelled.

He said Prime Minister Narendra Modi had resolved to eliminate Naxalism from the country, and the Centre and the state government worked to fulfil that resolve.

Nabin congratulated Chief Minister Vishnu Deo Sai and his team for making Chhattisgarh free from Naxalism, and paid tribute to security personnel who lost their lives in the fight against Maoists.

"The parts of Bastar, where people were earlier trained to use guns, have now been transformed into playgrounds. Children there are being encouraged to pursue sports and education," he said.

Nabin said armed Naxalites had been eliminated from forests, but some "dimagi Naxals" are still active and occupying leadership positions in various organisations.

He cautioned people against three categories of people -- those who sit in air-conditioned rooms in cities and formulate policies while encouraging children to talk about revolution, those who invoke the Constitution but instigate people against democracy, and those who promote such "dimagi Naxals" through organisations.

"There is a need to remain alert against all three. The government will teach 'dimagi Naxals' a lesson through its work and welfare schemes," the BJP leader stated.

Targeting the Opposition Congress, Nabin alleged that it had kept the tribal community on the margins and used its votes for political purposes for decades.

He said the Ministry of Tribal Affairs was established during the tenure of former Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee.

"The BJP works for the tribal community and also entrusts it with leadership responsibilities," he asserted.

The BJP governments at the Centre and in Chhattisgarh are committed to improving the living standards of tribal people and ensuring that development reaches the last person, Nabin said.

"Whether it is the government led by Narendra Modi or the one led by Vishnu Deo Sai, our foremost resolve is to bring a change in your standard of living and accelerate the pace of development, which had remained stalled for a long time," he added.

CM Sai was present at the event in Dharamjaigarh.

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by Mathrubhumi and is published from a syndicated feed.)