GUWAHATI: Union home minister Amit Shah on Sunday cut short his final leg of campaigning for the third phase of elections in Assam and returned to Delhi in view of the Naxal attack in Chhattisgarh’s Sukma in which 23 security personnel were killed.
Shah skipped his scheduled programmes in the state on Sunday, including a rally at Assam minister Himanta Biswa Sarma’s Jalukbari constituency and another public meeting in Bhawanipur in lower Assam. But he managed to address a rally earlier in the day in Sarbhog.
Chhattisgarh chief minister Bhupesh Baghel, who was also campaigning in Assam, continued with his programme and addressed two rallies in Bongaigaon and Barpeta districts before concluding his trip. Baghel, who is the AICC observer in the state, left Assam only in the evening, attracting criticism from BJP leaders.
A mammoth rally had been organised by BJP in Sualkuchi in Himanta’s Jalukbari seat. Shah returned from the helipad itself. He told reporters, “I pay homage to the martyrs and assure their family members and the nation that the sacrifice of the jawans won’t go in vain. We will fight with more strength and intensity against the Naxals.”
“As far as the numbers are concerned, both sides have suffered losses and exact casualty figures cannot be ascertained immediately,” PTI quoted Shah as saying.
Shah on Sunday held a top-level meeting with senior officers on the Bijapur encounter at his residence in Delhi, ANI reported. Home secretary Ajay Bhalla, director IB Arvind Kumar and senior CRPF officers were present in the meeting.
“Our fight against Naxalites will continue with strength, perseverance and intensity and we will take it to the end,” Shah said during the meeting, as per IANS.
This came even as BJP chief J P Nadda hit out at Congress over Naxalism saying there have been “questions” of it taking a soft line on Naxalites, PTI reported. Condemning the killing of jawans, he asserted that the Centre would stand by the families of the soldiers.