Chhattisgarh: Cong has won people's confidence with 'Nyay Yatra', says Sachin Pilot

Raipur, Oct 2 (PTI) Senior Congress leader Sachin Pilot on Wednesday said his party has won the confidence of people through its 'Nyay Yatra' in Chhattisgarh and the politics of arrogance will not work anymore.

The 'Nyay Yatra' led by Chhattisgarh Congress chief Deepak Baij commenced on September 27 from Giraudpuri, the centre of faith for the Satnami community in Balodabazar-Bhatapara district.

After covering 125 km in six days, the foot march concluded in Raipur on Wednesday.

Addressing party leaders and workers at the Gandhi Maidan here after the conclusion of the yatra, AICC in-charge for Chhattisgarh Sachin Pilot slammed the Union and state BJP governments, accusing them of using central agencies to "suppress" voices of his party leaders.

In the last 10 months of BJP rule, criminal offences are constantly rising in Chhattisgarh and it is unfortunate that the state government, to hide its "failure", has been trying to defame the Congress, he claimed.

"The state government has been implicating Congress leaders on false charges. Be it the BJP government at the Centre or the state, they use Income Tax (department), CBI and ED to suppress the voices of Congress leaders," Pilot charged.

"Through the Nyay Yatra, we have won the confidence of people. The politics of arrogance, attack and pressure will not work anymore. You (BJP) have been elected to power, so you must fulfil the promises made in your manifesto instead of intimidating the opposition," he said.

People elected the (BJP) government in Chhattisgarh for good governance, but the government here wanted to destroy the Congress, he said.

"We are followers of Mahatma Gandhi. The values of truth, non-violence, goodwill and hard work are within us. But do not mistake our Gandhian thinking, our decency, for our weakness. If you do not stop exploiting people, if you do not stop filing false cases, if you do not stop the politics of vendetta, Congress will give a befitting reply," Pilot added.

Baij, in his address, said the objective of the 'Nyay Yatra' was to make people aware of the "failure" of the nine months' old BJP government in the state and claimed the foot march received huge response.

He also invited Chief Minister Vishnu Deo Sai for a debate on the law and order situation in the state.

"The 9 months' old BJP government forced Chhattisgarh to burn. The 9 months' old government has been making Chhattisgarh another Manipur. Incidents of murder, loot, chain snatching, rape are on a rise. Our sisters and mothers are living under fear," he claimed.

Baij said they fought against the deteriorating law and order situation right from the block level to the state level.

"We observed Chhattisgarh bandh and staged Vidhan Sabha gherao to wake up their government from slumber. But now people do not have any expectations from this government," he said.

Baij said BJP leaders, including the CM, targeted the Nyay Yatra saying the opposition party should apologise to the people instead of seeking justice for them.

"I want to ask that during which government incidents like Jhiram valley attack (2013), killing of 76 jawans in Tadmetla by Naxalites (2010), Jhaliyamari sexual exploitation case (2013), vandalisation of (Balodabazar) Collector and SP office (in June this year), fake encounters, etc have happened?" he said.

"Who will answer these questions? I want to challenge CM sahab for a debate on it. CM sahab, you decide the date, time and venue. I am ready for a debate," he said.

The Congress follows principles of Mahatma Gandhi not that of Godse, he added.

Baij also targeted the state government and Deputy Chief Minister Vijay Sharma, who also holds Home portfolio, over the Loharidih incident.

Kachru Sahu, a resident of Loharidih in Chhattisgarh's Kabirdham district, was last month found hanging from a tree in the nearby Bijatola village in Balaghat district of Madhya Pradesh.

On the same day, Loharidih villagers attacked the house of its deputy sarpanch Raghunath Sahu and set it on fire on the suspicion that he had killed Kachru.

While Raghunath died in the incident, three members of his family, including his wife, were rescued by police in injured condition and were hospitalised.

Later, another villager Prashant Sahu, who was among 69 persons arrested in connection with setting the house of Raghunath on fire, died in judicial custody allegedly after being severely beaten by police. PTI