DEPUTY Chief Minister Vijay Sharma on Tuesday announced that the BJP will organise a four-day Tiranga Yatra across Bastar from August 12 to 15. The march will begin from Narayanpur at 9 am on Wednesday. Sharma said that the Tricolour would be hoisted at several places once considered inaccessible due to Naxalite violence, to highlight the improvement in the security situation and the government’s claim that Naxalism has been defeated. He said that he would participate in the entire yatra along with administrative officials and local residents. The march will pass through Chingvaram, Trerbor, Tadmetla and Jhiram—areas associated with attacks on civilians and security personnel.

 

Sharma said that he would visit Chingvaram, where 31 bodies were recovered, Errabore, where houses were allegedly set on fire, and Tadmetla, where 71 security personnel were killed. At Jhiram, he will pay tribute to those killed in the 2013 Jhiram Valley attack. Targeting the Congress, Sharma accused the opposition of questioning the decline of Naxalism and said the victims of the Jhiram attack deserved to be remembered and honoured. On recent youth protests, he said demonstrations were legitimate in a democracy and that the government was sensitive to their concerns. Referring to allegations that shots were fired during a protest, Sharma challenged the opposition to provide evidence. He urged Congress members to participate in Assembly proceedings, saying the government was ready to discuss all issues. Sharma also questioned Rahul Gandhi’s silence on youth protests in Jharkhand, where his alliance is in power.