Saying that “Left Wing Extremism is about to end” in the country, Union Home Minister Amit Shah told Lok Sabha on Monday that “Naxalism has been more or less wiped out from Bastar”, which used to be a Maoist stronghold in Chhattisgarh.
Shah was replying to a debate in Lok Sabha on ‘Efforts to free the country from LWE’, a day before his deadline for elimination of Maoist violence ends. Last year, he had announced that LWE would end in the country by March 31, 2026.
Shah blamed the Congress for the long spell of Maoist violence, saying it did “nothing” during its rule to end the menace despite acknowledging the gravity of the problem.
Citing Bastar’s development as evidence of his government’s bid to uproot LWE, he said: “Today, Naxalism has been more or less wiped out from Bastar. There was a movement to construct a school in every village, a ration shop… there are Aadhaar cards, ration cards, five kilograms of ration is being distributed…I want to ask those who were speaking in favour of Naxalism here, why was this not the case from 1970 till now?”
“Why were the people of Bastar left behind? The truth is being hidden. They were left behind because there was a shadow of red terror there. That is why development could not reach it…today, that shadow of red terror has been removed and Bastar is getting developed,” he said.
“Several significant works that the people of the country wanted since Independence…have been done under Narendra Modi’s rule in the last 12 years and now, the creation of a Naxal-free India is also happening under Narendra Modi’s rule…Today, Left Wing Extremism is about to end,” he said.
Shah said that earlier, 12 states had turned into a ‘Red Corridor’ with no rule of law, 12 crore people lived in poverty for years, and 20,000 people, including 5,000 security personnel, were killed due to Maoist violence.
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“In the end, who is responsible for this. I want to ask, in 75 years, you ruled for 60 years, why have the tribals still been deprived of development? The development of tribals is now being done by Prime Minister Narendra Modi,” he said.
The Home Minister alleged that for 60 years, the Congress “did not give the tribals houses, didn’t give them water, didn’t build schools, didn’t extend bank facilities”.
“So first look a little into your own reign and see who is at fault,” he said, in response to some Opposition members blaming the Modi government for the violence.
Shah said the then Prime Minister Manmohan Singh had acknowledged that Maoist violence was a bigger challenge than the Kashmir and North-East problems, but the “Congress did nothing about it”.
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Warning that the Modi government would not spare anyone who picks up arms, he said the solution for addressing injustice is prescribed in the Constitution. Taking up arms is not the answer, he said.
“When (CPI-Maoist Central Committee member Madvi) Hidma was killed…the Hidma who killed 172 (security) jawans, India Gate witnessed sloganeering of ‘kitne Hidma maroge, har ghar se niklenge Hidma (How many Hidmas will you kill, Hidmas will come from every home)’; this video was personally tweeted by Rahul Gandhi,” Shah said.
“From 1970 until March 2026, they (the Congress) have supported Naxalism, supported its massacres and if there is anyone guilty of the deaths of 20,000 people, it is the Left Wing ideology of the Congress. By spending time with Naxals, this party and its leaders have become Naxalites themselves; they will have to answer to the people of this country in the elections…this will go to the people’s court,” he said.
Shah also said that all credit for the success against Maoists goes to the Central Armed Police Forces personnel, especially the brave soldiers of Cobra and CRPF, security agencies, Chhattisgarh Police, DRG personnel and tribal inhabitants.
With PTI
