Naxalism has been completely eradicated from India ahead of the March 31 deadline due to the valour, courage and supreme sacrifice of the security forces, Union Home Minister Amit Shah said on Tuesday, May 19.
While addressing a press conference in Jagdalpur, Shah highlighted certain dates that hold major historical significant in the “Naxal-Free India Campaign,” PTI reported.
The first was December 13, 2023, when the BJP government took oath in Chhattisgarh. This is when the resolute campaign for the complete eradication of Naxalism began, he noted.
Another key date was August 24, 2024, when a meeting of the Directors General of Police (DG) from all states was convened to resolve to make the country Naxal-free by March 31, 2026.
“The third date, which you all know – 31 March 2026 (deadline set by the Centre to eliminate Naxalism from the country). Due to the valour, courage, and supreme sacrifice of the security forces, Naxalism has been completely eradicated from the country ahead of the set deadline,” Shah said.
The Union Home Minister went on to say that several non-BJP governments in different states helped the central government in its plans to eliminate Naxalism, but the previous Congress government in Chhattisgarh did not provide help.
“It was after December 2023, when the BJP government was formed in Chhattisgarh that we could eliminate Naxalism in Bastar,” he said.
He further stated that some intellectuals have been arguing for years that “Naxalism flourished because development could not reach these areas.”
“But the truth is exactly the opposite… Development could not reach these areas because Naxalism was there,” he said.
He highlighted that there were several areas in the country that were even more backward than the Naxal-affected regions, but there was no Naxalism there. “Therefore, those areas gradually progressed on the path of development. On the other hand, our Bastar and other Naxal-affected areas remained deprived of development due to violence and fear,” he said.