Chhattisgarh CM, BJP had deal with Maoists: Digvijaya

New Delhi, April 25 (IANS) Senior Congress leader Digvijaya Singh on Tuesday stirred a controversy by reiterating that Chhattisgarh Chief Minister Raman Singh and the BJP had a "deal and understanding" with the Maoists in the state.

He called for talks with all stakeholders to bring Maoist violence under control.

"Chief Minister Raman Singh ji and the Bharatiya Janata Party win elections from there because they had a deal and understanding with the Maoists. I have said this before, and I am stating it again," Singh told reporters here.

His statement came after Home Minister Rajnath Singh on Tuesday dubbed Monday's massacre of 25 CRPF personnel by Maoists in an ambush in Chhattisgarh as a "cold-blooded murder" and said the Centre will review its anti-Maoist strategy.

The Congress leader also paid homage to the Central Reserve Police Force men killed in the ambush.

Digvijaya Singh said unless the state's tribal villagers are taken into confidence, Maoist violence cannot be brought under control.

"The government should talk to all the stakeholders. Prime Minister Narendra Modi and his government only believe in 'jumlas' and have been indulging in it since May 2014," he said.

Congress spokesperson Randeep Singh Surjewala said on his Twitter account: "Malady and inability of the BJP government of Chattisgarh in fighting Naxalism lies in Chief Minister Raman Singh's lack of will."

Surjewala also took a dig at BJP President Amit Shah and said: "Amit Shah ji starts BJP expansion plan from Naxalbari today (Tuesday). Instead, please plan with the Prime Minister on how to stop Naxalism and don't put the party before nation."

Congress spokesperson Priyanka Chaturvedi asked how will the Prime Minister commit himself to ensure that such intelligence lapses do not recur and that there is better coordination between the state and the Centre.

"Will the Prime Minister hold the Chief Minister accountable? Will he ask the Chief Minister to step down by taking moral responsibility for mindless acts?" asked Chaturvedi.

"We will also like to ask the Home Minister (Rajnath Singh) why the post of DG, CRPF, has been lying vacant since February 1 and nothing has been done in this regard?

"If we are so serious and if we are so committed to handling terrorism, we should be serious about handling the challenge on the border as well as from our own homegrown terrorists," she said.