Cong to relaunch parivartan yatra near Naxal ambush site

Unfazed by the dastardly attack by Maoists, Opposition Congress in Chhattisgarh will soon resume its 'parivartan yatra' from Keslur village near Jiram Ghati, the spot where its convoy was ambushed on May 25.

Congress workers will pay tribute to the victims including state Congress chief Nand Kumar Patel, his son Dinesh, former Leader of Opposition in the Assembly Mahendra Karma and ex-MLA Uday Mudliyar among others, at all district headquarters on June 6.

Tributes will be paid at all block headquarters on June 7, but not in the remote Moaist-affected blocks of Bastar division, which includes the districts of Bastar, Dantewada, Bijapur, Narayanpur, Sukma and Kanker.

28 people were killed and 36 injured, including former union minister Vidya Charan Shukla, in the attack.

"We will relaunch the parivartan yatra very soon from the same place where it was left and will be concluded at the state capital Raipur," AICC general secretary B K Hariprasad told reporters in a press conference here.

The 'parivartan rally' came under attack at Jiram valley in Darbha block when it was on its way to Keslur town in Jagdalpur district.

The rally in its new avatar will begin from Keslur, he said.

Hariprasad, also the party in-charge of Chhattisgarh, was speaking to reporters after a meeting with senior Congress leaders, district presidents, block-level members and general secretaries, that lasted for two hours.

To allegations by BJP that some Congress leaders were part of the Naxal conspiracy, Hariprasad responded that the National Investigation Agency (NIA) was probing the incident and its outcome is awaited.

Meanwhile, AICC Treasurer Motilal Vora said the party will soon take a call on appointing new PCC chief before commencement of the parivartan yatra. "The party will choose its Chhattsigarh chief within 10-12 days or before re-launching the parivartan yatra," Vora said.

Union minister of state Charandas Mahant, Leader of Opposition Ravindra Choubey and other senior office-bearers attended the meeting.

According to sources, Hariprasad asked party leaders to refrain from giving irresponsible statements over the attack before the media and speak only about judicial and NIA probes.