Chhattisgarh Chief Minister Raman Singh Chhattisgarh Chief Minister Raman Singh

The Maoist attack on Congress leaders in Bastar was a big setback for Chhattisgarh CM Raman Singh The Maoist attack on Congress leaders in Bastar was a big setback for Chhattisgarh CM Raman Singh

CM's principal secretary Aman Singh is said to be the brain behind his success CM's principal secretary Aman Singh is said to be the brain behind his success

A chunk of the top leadership of Chhattisgarh Congress had been eliminated in a Maoist ambush with only months left for the 2013 Assembly elections. The Raman Singh led BJP government, which had a near smooth second term until then, was suddenly staring at a severe political crisis. However, Singh and his team, through skillful handling of the situation, not only averted the crisis but also scraped a narrow win in the polls.As many as 27 people, including veteran Congress leader V. C. Shukla, PCC chief Nand Kumar Patel and tribal leader Mahendra Karma, were killed in Bastar on May 25 in an attack that some experts called ' 26/ 11 moment' for the state. Stunned, the opposition Congress lashed out at the state government, accusing it of failing to provide adequate security to the party's parivartan yatra in the Maoist- dominated Bastar region.Many felt the situation then was threatening the very survival of the BJP government as the entire state was in shock over the gory attack. " In terms of political impact the May 25 Maoist attack was as big an incident for Chhattisgarh as 26/ 11 terror attack for Mumbai and India," says Anirudh Sharma, a political expert.For two days after the incident the state government was reluctant to speak to the media. Even a section of bureaucracy strongly suggested that the government should lie low and allow the situation to pass over.State BJP leaders didn't differ from such approach either.But Aman Kumar Singh, the then secretary ( now principal secretary) to the chief minister, vehemently argued in a closed door meeting with Raman Singh that the government's unwillingness not to face the media would do irreparable damage to its image.The CM and his close aides ( officials) toiled day and night to defend the government.A day after the attack, Singh held a meeting with Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and UPA chairperson Sonia Gandhi at Raj Bhawan where Chief Secretary Sunil Kumar defended the state government. " It appears to be miscalculation of the situation and risk factor by the police," the chief secretary opined during the course of the meeting and narrated the course of action.Aman Kumar Singh, along with the chief secretary, convinced the CM that the media must be apprised of the government's views. The CM was briefed through simulation on what to communicate with the media. After that Raman Singh went ahead with the plan to admit that there were security lapses, though he was a bit " uncertain" about its fallout. ' But with so many Congress leaders killed, how anyone can say there was no security lapse', was the belief instilled in him by his administrative advisers.The CM also pledged before the media to ensure there is no delay in getting the quick report from the judicial commission.He simultaneously welcomed the investigation by the National Investigation Agency into the deadly attack.The press meet continued for two hours. The next morning the media narrative was changed. BJP spokespersons, too, got the line to follow: " Governance is not just about populism but showing guts for tough actions and candid admission." This strategy of admitting the lapse effectively gelled with the image of the chief minister.

Ironically, on June 5, during the chief ministers' conference on internal security in Delhi, three top political leaders - P. Chidambaram, Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar and Gujarat Chief Minister Narendra Modi - who were known to nurture diametrically opposite views on several issues were seen appreciating Raman Singh after the latter's opening speech.



