As Naxal deadline ends, credit war erupts between former CG CMs

Raipur: A day after the Centre's deadline to root out Naxalism from the country ended, a full-blown credit war erupted on social media, as former Chhattisgarh chief ministers Bhupesh Baghel and Raman Singh traded barbs over Union home minister Amit Shah's remarks in Parliament.Firing the first salvo, Baghel shared a newspaper on his X handle and tagged it with a message that read, "Aur saboot chahiye kya, Amit Shah ji? (Do you need more proof, Amit Shah ji?)" The clipping was of an interview with a former security adviser, supporting Baghel's claim that the then Congress govt had extended full cooperation with anti-Maoist operations. Baghel's post drew a stinging response from former three-time chief minister and current assembly speaker Raman Singh. In a sharply worded post, the BJP leader wrote that Baghel, as CM, claimed to have held ‘evidence' in his pocket on the 2013 Jhiram Ghati massacre by Maoists, but could now post only a newspaper clipping to support his claim."Throwing mud at others will not hide your own stains," Singh posted, adding that Baghel's five years in office were marked more by blame game than decisive action.The online sparring followed the home minister's statement in the Lok Sabha on Monday, accusing the Congress of not cooperating in the fight against Leftwing Extremism (LWE). Hitting back, Baghel posted a video on social media, challenging Shah to a debate, asserting that the Congress govt had fully supported the Centre in tackling Naxal violence during its tenure.The online exchanges have lent a sharper tone to the ongoing slugfest between the ruling and opposition camps to set a narrative around the ‘end' of Naxal violence in Chhattisgarh.The Jhiram Ghati attack remains one of the most emotionally charged reference points in the state's LWE discourse. The 2013 massacre claimed the lives of several senior Congress leaders, leaving a deep political and institutional scar on the then govt. Invoking Jhiram, Raman sought to punch holes in the Congress' claim of support in the Naxal fight while also critiquing the party's handling of the LWE menace.Baghel, on the other hand, sought to frame the dispute as one of facts versus alleged political distortion, insisting that the Centre's claim of non-cooperation was false. He claimed records would bear out that the Congress stood with security forces and intelligence agencies on anti-Naxal operations.