Hitting back at Digvijay Singh for his 'buck stops with the chief minister' remark following the massacre of security forces in Dantewada, Chhattisgarh Chief Minister Raman Singh on Monday described the Congress general secretary as 'intellectually dishonest' and blamed him for the rise in Maoist menace in the state.
"Whether Home Minister Chidambaram is intellectually arrogant or not, I have no hesitation in saying that Digvijay Singh is intellectually dishonest for a deliberate, motivated and deceitful article," Raman Singh said in a statement.
Asking Chidambaram to rethink the counter-Maoist strategy and not treat Naxalism as a mere law and order problem, the Congress leader had termed him as 'intellectually arrogant'.
The article had said, "As far as law and order is concerned, the buck stops with the chief minister, not with the home minister. Why is the home minister taking the flak when it is the chief minister who should be answering the questions?"
Slamming the Congress leader, the chief minister said, "Digvijay Singh talks about development first without realising that unless the state is able to dominate and control these areas, development cannot be achieved."
"Development cannot be a pre-condition in the fight against Naxals. Over the years, Naxalites have destroyed hospitals, schools and panchyat buildings. Most of these areas have become inaccessible to dispense government services," the chief minister said.
All talk about development without effectively tackling Naxalism is over-simplification and a manifestation of seeing the vexed problem of Naxalism through tinted glasses, he said.
"These two are inter-connected processes and must continue in conjunction. The government is committed to the development of these areas and the district administration is doing everything possible in the most adverse circumstances," he said.
Alleging that Digvijay Singh, as chief minister of undivided Madhya Pradesh, did 'colossal damage' to the fabric of Naxal-affected Bastar by ignoring development, Raman Singh said inputs about Naxals consolidating their presence in the district were ignored.
"Training and arms requirements of the police force were systematically ignored; the price for which has been paid by several jawans and successive governments," he said.
Digvijay Singh had also said, "There are reports that in every election, Maoists' support goes to the highest bidder."
Wondering whether Digvijay had any empirical evidence to support his statement, the chief minister said, "In 1998, under the leadership of Digvijay Singh, the Congress won 11 out of the 12 legislative assembly seats in Bastar area. Is he unraveling the mystery of the Congress' stupendous performance in the Vidhan Sabha elections?"
Coming down heavily on the Congress leader's accusation that Bastar Bharatiya Janata Party Member of Parliament Baliram Kashyap had enlisted Maoists' support during elections, Singh said, "It is for his unflinching commitment to fighting Naxalism that Baliram won the sobriquet of 'Tiger Of Bastar'."
"The allegations of Digvijay Singh are unpardonable as he is not oblivious to the above facts," Singh said.
