Ex-Chhattisgarh CM Baghel slams Nadda over his remarks on 2013 Jhiram naxal attack

Raipur: Former Chhattisgarh chief minister Bhupesh Baghel on Monday alleged BJP president JP Nadda has insulted the "martyrdom" of Congress leaders killed in the 2013 Jhiram Ghati Naxal attack with his remarks.

Addressing an event in Janjgir-Champa district, Nadda attacked Congress, claiming some insiders in the party were involved in facilitating the Naxal attack, which led to the killing of state Congress leaders.

"..Today, the BJP's national president has once again insulted the martyrs who lost their lives in the Jhiram incident. First of all, security agencies, including the National Investigation Agency (NIA), should question JP Nadda and demand proof of his claims.

"JP Nadda ji ! We lost our leaders in the Naxal attack. By making allegations of collusion, you are insulting their martyrdom," Baghel stated on X.

झूठ का 'अड्डा'
जे पी 'नड्डा'

आज फिर एक बार छत्तीसगढ़ आकर भाजपा के 'पर्ची' राष्ट्रीय अध्यक्ष ने झीरम की घटना में अपनी जान गँवाने वाले शहीदों का अपमान किया है.

सबसे पहले तो एनआईए सहित सुरक्षा एजेंसियों को जे पी नड्डा जी से पूछताछ कर उनके दावों के सबूत मांगने चाहिए.

जे. पी नड्डा…

— Bhupesh Baghel (@bhupeshbaghel) December 22, 2025

He stated that when Congress was in power in the state (from 2018 to 2023), it had sought a thorough investigation to identify conspirators behind the attack, but the BJP moved courts to stall the probe.

"You (Nadda) should explain--during the (previous) Congress government's tenure in the state, when we wanted to find out the conspirators behind the Naxalite attack, why were you filing petitions in the courts to stop the investigation? Why didn't you want the conspirators to be identified? Tell us, now if alleged conspirators of Jhiram are in custody, would they be questioned about the conspiracy angle?" the senior Congress leader asked.

Baghel said he supports strong action against Naxalism, and the strategy that led to the shrinking of Left-wing extremism in the state was laid during his tenure. He questioned why the BJP was attempting to sideline those efforts.

"..Your (BJP) government was in power for 15 years (in Chhattisgarh), why didn't you eliminate Naxalism then? At that time, Naxalites were carrying out massacres and killing tribals. 700 villages were emptied, and (then CM) Dr Raman Singh was telling security advisor KPS Gill to take his salary and enjoy himself! @JPNadda," Baghel said.

On May 25, 2013, Maoists attacked a convoy of Congress leaders during the party's 'Parivartan Rally' in the Jhiram valley in Bastar district ahead of assembly elections, killing 32 people, including then state Congress chief Nand Kumar Patel, former leader of opposition Mahendra Karma, and former Union minister V C Shukla.

The Bastar Police had registered an FIR. Subsequently, the NIA took over the investigations, and a charge sheet was filed in a designated court in Jagdalpur in September 2014.

Then Raman Singh-led BJP government had also constituted a judicial commission, headed by then Chhattisgarh High Court judge Prashant Kumar Mishra, on May 28, 2013, to inquire into the deadly attack. The panel handed over its report to the state's Governor in November 2021.

When he was the chief minister, Baghel had questioned why the report was submitted to the Governor contrary to the "established practice" of giving it to the state government.

He had also claimed that the report seems to be incomplete. The report was not made public.

Subsequently, the then Congress government restructured the same judicial commission and expanded its term.

In 2022, the Chhattisgarh High Court had stayed the proceedings of the commission over a plea filed by senior BJP leader Dharamlal Kaushik.