Murder of BJP leader aimed at creating fear among party cadres ahead of LS polls: Chhattisgarh Dy CM

Chhattisgarh Deputy Chief Minister Vijay Sharma on Saturday said the murder of a local BJP leader in Bijapur, allegedly by Naxalites, was a cowardly act aimed at creating fear in the party cadre ahead of the Lok Sabha elections.

Tirupati Katla, a district-level leader of the ruling BJP and also a member of the Janpad Panchayat, was killed by suspected Naxals on Friday night when he had gone to attend a wedding in Toynar village in Bijapur district.

Meanwhile, senior BJP MLA Mahesh Gagda has termed the incident as a ''target'' killing and claimed the attackers raised slogans hailing the Naxalite movement and the Congress party after committing the crime. The Congress hit back, saying the state government was trying to blame the Grand Old Party for its own failures. ''They want to create fear as (Lok Sabha) elections are near and the action (against Naxalites) has been intensified. To prevent BJP workers from going to interior areas, they have resorted to such a wrong act,'' Sharma said. Whatever happens, this is Vishnu Deo Sai's government and our commitment is to take development to every corner of Bastar. We will remove any such barriers that will come in the way, said Sharma.

Notably, Katla was the seventh leader/member of the BJP who has been killed by suspected Naxalites in their stronghold areas in the last year.

Gagda, who represents the Bijapur constituency, on Saturday, visited the house of Katla in Bijapur and expressed condolences to the bereaved family members.

''I will request the state home minister to get the incidents of targeted killings of BJP leaders probed by the National Investigation Agency (NIA),'' the former minister said. Gagda claimed Katla's family members and eyewitnesses of the murder told him that the Naxals raised slogans hailing the Naxal movement and the Congress party after killing the BJP leader. ''Katla's family members also said he was threatened ahead of (last year's assembly) polls,'' he said.

''I have informed the state's forest minister Kedar Kashyap ji who visited Katla's house on Saturday, about it. For the last couple of years, BJP leaders have been targeted and murdered. These incidents were political murders and an attempt is being made to give them a Naxal angle,'' he claimed.

Asked about the claims, minister Kashyap said the district superintendent of police has been directed to submit a report after the probe.

On the other hand, the Congress accused the BJP of trying to blame the Opposition party for the ''failures of the government''.

''This incident (Katla's killing) was the result of a negligent and indecisive policy of the BJP government. The Sai government is responsible for this tragic murder. The BJP government should make its anti-Naxal policy clear,'' said state Congress communication wing head Sushil Anand Shukla while condemning the killing. He alleged Naxal activities intensified ever since the BJP came to power in the state after the assembly polls. ''Naxalites have executed more than 30 incidents in the last two months. Unfortunately, the BJP is trying to blame Congress for the failure of the state government,'' Shukla claimed.

In a statement purportedly released by Naxals on Saturday, its national park area committee has claimed responsibility for the murder of Katla.

(This story has not been edited by Devdiscourse staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)