Union Home Minister Amit Shah declared India 'Naxal-free' in the Lok Sabha, calling it a major success of the Modi govt. He blamed Left-wing ideology for the problem and accused the Congress party and Rahul Gandhi of supporting Naxalites.
Union Home Minister Amit Shah on Monday said that days of those who indulge in Naxalite violence are now over and Naxal-free India is one of the biggest successes of the Modi government.
Replying to debate in Lok Sabha on efforts to free the country of Left Wing Extremism, he said Naxalism did not spread because of poverty but poverty spread because of Naxalism "Root cause of Naxalism is not lack of development but Left-wing ideology, which was accepted by the leader of then ruling party to win the Presidential election in 1969. How can a Communist Party whose foundation is inspired by the ideology of another country ever do good for India. Maoists did not choose the Red Corridor to oppose discrimination, but because the government's reach was weak there," he said.
"Naxal-free India is one of the biggest successes of the Modi government. This is the Modi government -- whoever picks up arms will have to face the consequences," he added, Amit Shah said supporters of Left-wing ideology have not considered Bhagwan Birsa Munda, Shaheed Bhagat Singh or Subhas Chandra Bose as their ideals, but had instead chosen "Mao" as their ideal.
'Modi govt delivers justice, Naxals destroyed development'
"Where Left-wing extremists did not allow development to reach for decades, the Modi government is now taking development to every household, Modi government is not a government that gets scared, but a government that delivers justice to everyone," he said.
Amit Shah said Naxalites burnt schools, dispensaries and banks in villages, and then misled people by saying that development had not reached there "I have read many articles by intellectuals who talk about the human rights of Naxalites, but not a single one of them was written for the mother whose child was forcibly taken away by Naxalites or for the widows of the those killed by Naxalites," he added He said NAC, formed during the rule of the Congress, "was filled with Naxal supporters".
"Those who describe the security forces' anti-Naxal operations as a fight against injustice must visit the Bastar Olympics and BastarPandum. Modi government is not a government that gets scared, but a government that delivers justice to everyone. Naxalites burnt schools, dispensaries and banks in villages, and then misled people by saying that development had not reached there," he said.
'We've indeed become Naxal-free'
Amit Shah said the country has become Naxal-free. He slammed Rahul Gandhi, who is the Leader of Opposition in Lok Sabha, and alleged that the Congress leader has been seen on numerous occasions with Naxals and their sympathisers.
He gave details of action taken by security forces in tackling Naxalism and said 4,839 (Naxalites) have surrendered, 2,218 have been sent to jail, and 706 who refused to surrender and remained in hiding were gunned down by the police in encounters.
"We had set a target to make the region Naxal-free by March 31st. After the entire process, I'll inform the nation. However, I can state with absolute confidence that we've indeed become Naxal-free," he said.
State-wise Progress
"Bihar had become Naxal-free prior to 2024. Maharashtra, barring a single tehsil, had become Naxal-free before 2024. Odisha had become Naxal-free prior to 2024. Jharkhand, except for one district, had become Naxal-free before 2024," he added.
Shah levels accusations against Congress, Rahul Gandhi
Amit Shah alleged that the Congress government, which was in power in Chhattisgarh, had "shielded Naxalites".
"The Congress government in Chhattisgarh shielded the Naxalites...Now, I would like to speak about their leader Rahul Gandhi. Throughout his long political career, Rahul Gandhi was seen on numerous occasions with Naxals and their sympathisers. There is a record showing that several Naxal frontal organisations participated in the Bharat Jodo Yatra. In 2010, in Odisha, he shared a stage with Lado Sikoka. From that very platform, Sikoka delivered an inflammatory speech and even garlanded Rahul Gandhi... From the 1970s right up until March 2026, they have consistently supported Naxalism," he alleged.
He attacked the opposition parties for having made former Supreme Court judge B Sudarshan Reddy their candidate in the Vice Presidential election and condemned his "Salwa Judum" case judgement which was delivered in 2011. (ANI)
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