Amit Shah sets March 2026 deadline for Naxal-free Bastar, vows security and development push

Union Home Minister Amit Shah on Saturday pledged to make Bastar Naxal-free by March 31, 2026, through intensified security operations coupled with accelerated development measures. Shah, who arrived in Jagdalpur to attend the historic Muria Darbar, a central feature of Bastar Dussehra, underlined that both peace and progress must go hand in hand to end decades of insurgency.

Speaking at the traditional Muria Darbar and later addressing a rally at Lalbagh, Shah said the Centre is determined to end decades of Maoist insurgency. “Naxalism was born from a lack of development. It will end only when roads, schools and electricity reach every household,” he told the gathering of tribal leaders and villagers.

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In a symbolic gesture, Shah flagged off a new bus service linking 250 remote villages to urban centres, describing it as a bridge to markets and healthcare for communities long cut off from the mainstream. He underlined parallel efforts to expand electricity, banking, drinking water, and minimum support price-backed farming across Bastar.

Shah assured that the Centre’s goal is not limited to security. “We want Bastar’s children to become doctors and collectors. That is the true answer to Maoism,” he said. Villages declared free of Naxal presence will also receive ₹1 crore as an incentive, he added.

Chief Minister Vishnu Deo Sai termed Shah’s presence at the Muria Darbar “historic,” stressing that for the first time a Union Home Minister had joined the centuries old tribal forum. Deputy Chief Minister Vijay Sharma reaffirmed the state’s commitment to both peace and development, while Bastar Dussehra Committee vice-president Balram Manjhi pressed for greater use of mineral royalties in local employment schemes.

Shah further announced that by 2031 every village in Bastar will have electricity and a school, framing the target as part of Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s vision of inclusive growth. He also offered a message of reconciliation, urging villagers to persuade those still aligned with Maoist ideology to return through rehabilitation.

Earlier in the day, Shah visited the Danteshwari Temple, an act seen as underlining both cultural respect and political outreach. His participation in the Muria Darbar was widely described as a blend of tradition and governance. Shah’s repeated assertion that development and security are the twin pillars of a Naxal-free Bastar was met with loud approval, even as the clock ticks towards the government’s March 2026 deadline.