Cong counters BJP demand, urges for CM’s narco test

Raipur, June 01, 2013

Reacting sharply to BJP’s demand for narco test of Congress MLA Kawasi Lakhma to elicit facts pertaining to May 25 naxal attack on parivartan yatra, state’s principal opposition, instead, chief minister Raman Singh, senior cops and others officials should undergo narco test after the government conceded that security lapse led to such macabre incident.

“Now, when the BJP has triggered narco test politics, the Congress believes that the CM and his officials are most appropriate persons to face the specific test as more startling facts can surface in doing so,” said PCC spokesperson Shailesh Nitin Trivedi while talking to scribes at Congress Bhawan on Saturday evening. 

He pointed that a couple of narco tests had been conducted in the past in state in connection to different cases but the BJP government concealed the reports. 

Further objecting over BJP’s question on absence of union minister of state Charandas Mahant and CLP leader Ravindra Choubey from May 25 parivartan yatra, he said the former, by creating such an angle of suspicion, had rather displayed its frustration after finding the two senior opposition leaders alive.

“The BJP had actually conspired to kill all the top-rung Congress leaders. The statement of its leaders shows how frustrated they are when they saw Mahant and Choubey alive,” he added.

“Both Mahant and Choubey were never scheduled to participate May 25 yatra. While Choubey was busy in family functions after his daughter’s marriage, Mahant left to Shingoli (Maharashtra) to attended kisan mela after participating Jagdalpur rally on May 23. Mahant’s Shingoli visit was fixed two months back,” he clarified.

On BJP’s allegation that naxalism spread during Congress leaders Motilal Vora and Digvijay Singh’s chief ministerial tenures, he said while Maoists were non-existent during Vora’s regime, the activities of extremists were limited during Singh’s term.

On the occasion, Trivedi was accompanied by PCC general secretaries Bhupesh Baghel, Ramesh Warlyani, party spokespersons Mahendra Chhabda, Sushil Anand Shukla and parivartan yatra media incharge Jaswant Claudius.