Karnataka: Congress, BJP in war of words as surrendered Naxals sent to judicial custody

The six Naxals who surrendered before Chief Minister Siddaramaiah on Wednesday were remanded to judicial custody till January 30 by the NIA special court in Bengaluru on Thursday.

The Naxals, after recording their statements before the Chikmagalur police at the technical cell in Madiwala (Bengaluru), underwent a routine medical examination at the Victoria hospital before being produced at the NIA special court.

The surrendered Naxals - Latha Mundagaru from Chikmagalur, Sundari Kutluru from Dakshina Kannada, Vanajakshi Balehole from Chikmagalur, Mareppa Aroli from Raichur, Jisha from Wayanad and Vasanth from Vellore, Tamil Nadu, will be lodged at the Bengaluru central jail in Parappana Agrahara.

Meanwhile, the ruling Congress and the BJP were locked in a war of words over the Naxals surrendering before the chief minister, with the saffron party leaders raising suspicion over the CMO being under the control of Naxal sympathisers.

While, the high-powered committee headed by the chief secretary had at least three civil society members Banjagere Jayaprakash, K.P. Sripala and Parvatheesh Bilidale on board, the mediation was carried out by Shantigagi Nagarika Vedike (comprising progressive thinkers), which has been identified as Eddelu Karnataka and Komu Souharda Vedike in the past, which has also campaigned for the Congress party in the last Assembly elections.

BJP MLA from Karkala Sunil Kumar mocked the surrender process and the rehab package saying it was a package that would convert the “forest Naxals” into “urban Naxals”.

"Within a month after CM gave a call to surrender, the Naxals responded. Is Siddaramaiah close to the Naxals or close to people who are with the Naxals?,” charged Kumar, raising doubts over the role and intent of the ‘Shantigagi Nagarika Vedike’ which mediated in the process of surrender.

BJP National General Secretary B.L. Santhosh expressed suspicion over Naxal leader Vikram Gowda’s encounter closely followed by the surrender of six Naxals.

“There is more than what meets the eye in the surrender of Naxals in Karnataka in the presence of CM Sri Siddaramaiah. The surrender happened after a few days of encounter with Vikram Gowda. All who understand the process know it takes months to establish contact, decide on the mediators (usually like-minded left anarchists), engage, convince and then arrange for surrender,” said Santhosh in a social media post.

“Vikram Gowda was encountered in between the process. Only higher-ups in the government can answer if the internecine acrimony among left groups had led to one encounter and several surrenders. If that is true, the integrity of the process is questionable and the government has a lot to answer, especially knowing the anarchists’ huge influence on the Siddaramaiah government,” he added. 

BJP MP Kota Srinivas Poojary stated that the Naxals had to surrender before the Chikmagalur deputy commissioner and not at the chief minister’s office. “It seemed as if the government was surrendering to the Naxals and not vice versa.”

Earlier, the chief minister gave a press statement in his defence and said he welcomed the Naxal activists who had decided to abandon the path of violence and wanted to join the mainstream of society.

“Our government will sincerely try to fulfil their demands with compassion and take steps for the speedy disposal of cases against them. During my first stint as CM too, twelve Naxals had surrendered. I have always respected the democratic struggle against injustice and exploitation.

Slamming Sunil Kumar, Siddaramaiah said the BJP MLA who expressed shock when six Naxals surrendered in the state, was not shocked when Union Home Minister Amit Shah personally received the 30 Naxalites who surrendered in Chhattisgarh last month.  He also reminded Sunil Kumar that Devendra Fadnavis, as the deputy Chief Minister of Maharashtra had provided Rs 41 lakh as assistance to a Naxal couple who had surrendered last year.