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• 31 Mar 2026

Naxalite violence will no longer prevail:Says Amit Shah

New Delhi , March 31 : Union Home Minister Amit Shah on Monday reflected on the Prime Minsiter Narendra Modi-led central government's efforts in eradicating Naxalism from the country and recognised the Left-wing ideology as the "root cause of Red Terror." While replying to the discussion in the Lok Sabha under Rule 193 on the efforts to free the country from Naxalism, Amit Shah said that the Left-wing extremists and their supporters had presented a false narrative before innocent tribals that they were fighting for their rights and to deliver justice to them.  He said that Naxalism has now been almost completely eradicated from Bastar, and a campaign has begun to build schools and open ration shops in every village there. The Home Minister said that those who advocate for Naxalism should explain why all this did not happen from 1970 till now. He added that after the government of Prime Minister Narendra Modi came to power in 2014, every poor person across the country received a house, gas connection, drinking water, insurance up to Rs 5 lakh, and 5 kg of free food grains. However, the people of Bastar were left out because the truth was denied and due to the shadow of Red Terror, development could not reach there. Shah said that Red Terror was not there because there was no development; rather, development could not happen there because of Red Terror. But today, the shadow of Red Terror has been removed, and Bastar is developing. Amit Shah said that this is the government of Narendra Modi, and whoever picks up arms will have to face the consequences. The Home Minister said that the government is sensitive and wants to listen to all problems and resolve them. He said that the government has made schemes, but the Left-wing extremists and their supporters will not allow their implementation because they want their ideology, that is, their illegal rule, to continue there. Shah said that even after 75 years of independence, the main opposition party ruled the country for 60 years, yet how did the tribals remain deprived of development? He added that it is now Narendra Modi who is bringing development. He said that the opposition party should introspect and see who is really at fault. Union Home Minister said that a complete Red Corridor had been created across 12 states, including Chhattisgarh, Telangana, Andhra Pradesh, Odisha, Maharashtra, Madhya Pradesh, Jharkhand, Bihar, Bengal, Kerala, parts of Karnataka, and 3 districts of Uttar Pradesh.  In these areas, 12 crore people lived in poverty for years, and 20,000 youths lost their lives. Who is responsible for this? He said that the root cause of Naxalism is not the demand for development, but an ideology. The root cause of Naxalism is not a lack of development but Left-wing ideology, which was accepted by the leader of the then ruling party to win the Presidential election in 1969. Amit Shah said that former Prime Minister Manmohan Singh had openly admitted before the entire country that the biggest internal security challenge facing the nation, compared to Kashmir and the Northeast, was the armed Maoists. He said that a change occurred in 2014, and under the leadership of Prime Minister Modi, several long-standing problems have been resolved. Article 370 and 35A were removed, a grand temple has been built at Ram Janmabhoomi, GST has become a reality, the Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA) has been enacted, and 33% reservation has been provided for women in legislative bodies. Shah said that all the major tasks that the people of this country had been aspiring for since the time of independence have been accomplished in the 12 years of Narendra Modi's government. And now, the creation of a Naxalism-free India will also happen under the rule of Narendra Modi. Shah said that the past 12 years have proved to be very auspicious for the country. In these 12 years, a lot has been done to free the country from poverty, to bring a new education system for the youth, to ensure internal and external security, and to set aside policies not connected with the country's core values. He said that if one looks at the most historic and important decisions, then without any hesitation, a Naxalism-free India would rank at the top. Union Home Minister said that the credit for the major development of a Naxalism-free India, which is about to take shape in the country, goes entirely to our Central Armed Police Forces, especially the jawans of CoBRA and CRPF, the state police -- particularly the jawans of Chhattisgarh State Police and DRG -- and the local tribals. He said that the people have also made a significant contribution to the elimination of Left-Wing Extremism. Amit Shah said that this ideology has nothing to do with development or the demand for development. He questioned that what this ideology is. What is Maoist ideology? What is their guiding slogan? Their guiding slogan is "Power flows from the barrel of the gun." He said these people are not fighting for development, but for the survival and victory of their ideology, and to capture power by spreading their ideology among innocent tribals. They have no faith in democracy. He said that some people have gone to the extent of comparing them with Shaheed Bhagat Singh and Bhagwan Birsa Munda. Are you comparing Shaheed Bhagat Singh and Bhagwan Birsa Munda -- who fought against the British -- with those who break the Constitution, pick up arms and kill innocent people? He said this ideology believes that only a prolonged war can spread their ideology. They have no hesitation even in shedding the blood of their own people. The supporters of this ideology have not taken Bhagwan Birsa Munda, Shaheed Bhagat Singh or Subhas Chandra Bose as their ideals, but have instead chosen Mao as their ideal. Union Home Minister and Minister of Cooperation said that the truth is that they had deliberately chosen the entire Red Corridor because the reach of the state was weak there. Innocent tribals were misled and weapons were placed in their hands. He said that the tribals who, since before 15 August 1947, had considered Bhagwan Birsa Munda, Tilka Manjhi, Rani Durgavati and the Murmu brothers as their heroes, how did those same tribals start considering Mao as their hero by the time 1970 arrived?  Shah said that it was not because of development or injustice, but because of the difficult geography and the absence of the state that the Leftists chose this area to spread their ideology and began misleading the innocent tribals. He said that the Left-wing extremists did

not allow development to reach that area for years, but now under the governance of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, development is reaching every household there. The Home Minister said that Naxalism did not spread because of poverty; rather, poverty remained in the entire region for years because of Naxalism. He said that the roots of Naxalism are not linked to poverty and lack of development, but are ideological.  Amit Shah said that the literacy rate in Naxalbari was 32%, in Bastar it was 23%, in Saharsa, Bihar it was 33%, and in Ballia, Uttar Pradesh it was 31%. Similarly, the per capita income in Naxalbari was ₹500, in Bastar it was ₹190, in Saharsa₹299, and in Ballia ₹374. He said that the per capita income in all four regions was more or less similar, yet Left-wing extremism flourished in Naxalbari and Bastar, but not in Saharsa and Ballia. This happened because the geography of Saharsa and Ballia was not favourable to them. There were no dense forests, rivers and streams, or hills to hide in. There was no favourable condition to carry weapons, conduct their movement, suppress the tribals, or forcibly link them with their ideology.He said that if development were the criterion, if per capita income were the criterion, then there were many parts of the country where development had not reached in 1970, but why did Naxalism not spread there?  Union Home Minister said that this is not a government that gets scared, but one that delivers justice to everyone. He said that the Naxalite movement began in the 1970s from Naxalbari and Bengal. In the single year of 1971, there were 3,620 incidents of violence there. By the 1980s, the People's War Group was formed and the movement spread to the states of Maharashtra, Madhya Pradesh, and Odisha. In the 1990s, the Left-wing ideology began to shrink and mergers started between extremist groups and Left-wing parties. In 2004, two major groups merged and formed the CPI (Maoist). From 1970 to 2004, except for four years, the entire period was under the rule of the main opposition party. Amit Shah said that this was the period when the movement that started from Naxalbari spread to 12 states, covering 17% of the country's land area and more than 10% of its population. He said that without the support of those in power, it would have been impossible to create a Red Corridor right in the middle of the country, stretching from Tirupati to Pashupatinath. He said that out of the weapons that have been seized, 92% were looted from the police. Police stations and bullets were looted, and they were used to kill innocent jawans, children, and farmers. The Left-wing ideology propagated this through propaganda as if it were a delusion, spreading the narrative that arms were being picked up to escape injustice, in order to sustain their ideology. Union Home Minister and Minister of Cooperation said that the fundamental principle of democracy is that any problem can be solved through debate, not through weapons. He said that the Naxalites tried to create a vacuum in this country -- a vacuum of the State, a vacuum of governance by destroying all systems, a vacuum of the Constitution by ending faith in it, and a vacuum of security by burning down police stations. The Home Minister said that the days of Maoists and Naxalites who indulge in violence are now over, and under the Modi government, this will not continue for long. Amit Shah said that we should not make the mistake of considering Maoist extremists as people fighting a battle with arms against injustice, because Left-wing ideology has lost its base. That is why all Leftists are busy inventing different theories to save their existence. Their only agenda is to create a vacuum in the country. Their objective is to create a vacuum in the State, governance, Constitution, and security, and then carry out bloodshed, but this will no longer succeed. Shah said that the Naxalites have hanged many innocent villagers by labelling them as "enemy informers". They have staged a farce in the name of "People's Court", where there is no lawyer, no judge -- they themselves sit as judges, deliver verdicts themselves, and hang people themselves. Union Home Minister said that the Naxalites created a false narrative in the name of 'People's government', and worked to stop development schemes. Their aim was to target the Constitution and the justice system and create a vacuum in the Constitution. Those who are now saying "talk to them" should know that I have gone to Bastar and said on public platforms more than 50 times that they should lay down their arms and the government will make complete arrangements for their rehabilitation. He said that our government's policy is clear - dialogue is held only with those who surrender their weapons, but those who fire bullets are answered with bullets.  Amit Shah said that as soon as the Communist government was formed in Soviet Union, the CPI was established here in 1925. The Communist government was formed in Soviet Union and at the same time the CPI was founded here. Is there any relationship between the two? The Soviet government sponsored and helped in the creation of Communist parties across the world. Now, how can a party whose foundation itself was inspired by another country ever think of the welfare of our nation? These people had even supported the British.  In 1964, the Communist Party of India (Marxist) was formed. It is important to understand why CPI(M) was created. When the CPI already existed, why was CPI(M) formed? In 1964, a dispute arose between the Soviet Union and China.  As a result, two different ideological Communist governments emerged in the two Communist nations. As soon as these governments with different ideologies came into being, a China-supported party, the CPI (Marxist), was created here. After that, in 1969, the CPI (ML) was established to oppose parliamentary politics. Its objective was not to create a vacuum for development or to protect rights. Its stated objective in its constitution was to oppose parliamentary politics and carry out an armed revolution. Union Home Minister said that they formed the CPI (Marxist) with two objectives, armed revolution and opposition to parliamentary politics, and these are the same people who are today's Maoists. After that, in 1975, as soon as they received support from the Congress, the MCC (Maoist Communist Centre) was formed and it became a central party in Bihar and Jharkhand. Then the PWG (People's War Group) was formed in 1980, which was Andhra-centric.  In 1982, the

CPI (ML) Party Unity was formed in Bihar with the objective of Dalit-Kisan Central Armed Struggle. In 1998, the People's War Group was formed and the Maoists united under it. Even after doing all this, they did not succeed. In 2000, the PLGA (People's Liberation Guerrilla Army) was created and a guerrilla force was established. In 2004, the PWG and MCC merged. In 2014, PM Modi came to power and by 2026, the end of all of them has been achieved. This is their 101-year history from 1925 to 2026. Do not glorify this history by calling it a struggle against injustice. These people want to capture power through bullets instead of votes. Some people do not understand through dialogue. In such cases, force has to be used to protect innocent citizens from their atrocities. This is our party's government and Narendra Modi Ji has ensured the security of every citizen. Whoever commits injustice against citizens - if they understand, it is fine; otherwise, this force has been created for this very purpose. It will be used, results will come, and today the results have already started coming. Amit Shah said that Urban Naxals say that we should hold talks with the Maoists who roam around with arms because they are fighting for injustice, they should not be killed, and there should be sympathy for them. He said that not a single intellectual writes for the farmers who become disabled, for the more than 5,000 jawans of the security forces who have been martyred, for their widows, or for their orphaned children.  He said that their humanity is only for those who break the Constitution and roam around with weapons. They have no humanity for the citizens who are being killed by their weapons, the official statement cited Shah as saying. We cannot accept this dual character of humanity. These people are not humanitarians; they are supporters of the Naxalites. These people want to spread their ideology by putting weapons in the hands of the poor, but their days are also over now, the statement added. Union Home Minister said that Salwa Judum started in 2005 as a government-supported people's movement. Tribal youth were made Special Police Officers (SPOs) and were given training to fight against those spreading terror. Salwa Judum was started by Senior Congress leader Mahendra Karma, who was later killed by the Naxalites. On 5 July 2011, Nandini Sundar and others filed a petition in the Supreme Court. The Supreme Court, under Justice Sudarshan Reddy, ruled that this fight by the state against Naxalites was illegal and immediately ordered the surrender of their weapons. As a result, their weapons were taken back, and the Naxalites selectively killed people associated with Salwa Judum. And the same Justice Sudarshan Reddy later became the opposition's candidate for the post of Vice President. Those who respect the country's law and order would never make Sudarshan Reddy their candidate. He said that if a person, while acting as a judge, uses his personal ideology, wears constitutional robes, converts his ideology into an order, and delivers a judgment that leads to the death of thousands of innocent tribals, then we strongly condemn this judgment. Ideology cannot be placed above the welfare of the people. Amit Shah said that under the leadership of Prime Minister Modi, since 2014, approval has been given for constructing 17,589 kilometres of roads in Naxalism-affected areas, out of which 12,000 kilometres of roads have already been built. Development is happening because Naxalism is gradually being eradicated. We have installed nearly 5,000 mobile towers at a cost of Rs 6,000 crore. Narendra Modi Ji has also decided to install another 8,000 4G towers under two other schemes. In the last 12 years, 1,804 bank branches have been opened, 1,321 ATMs have been installed, 37,850 Banking Correspondents have been appointed, and 6,025 post offices have been opened.  All this has happened in just 12 years. We did not hold talks with the Maoists; we eliminated them and pushed development forward. We have built 259 Eklavya Model Residential Schools. Along with this, 46 ITIs, 49 Skill Development Centres, and 16 Skill Development Centres have been established. We have spent nearly Rs 800 crore on all these in the last 12 years. Under civic programmes, works worth Rs 212 crore have been carried out, related to health camps and medicines. We have also launched programmes for tribal youth exchange. For security, we introduced the SRE (Security Related Expenditure) scheme, under which Rs 3,000 crore has been provided to the states in 10 years. We also brought the Special Infrastructure Scheme and provided Rs 5,000 crore under it. He asked that why did all this not happen from 1970 till now? Whenever previous governments tried to do it, those people would carry out blasts and kill them. We eliminated those who carried out the blasts, and now development is taking place. Union Home Minister and Minister of Cooperation said that since 2014, a clear policy and strong political will have been attached to this work. He said that Narendra Modi Ji has made it absolutely clear that no illegal activity will be tolerated in any part of the country - whether it is Kashmir, the Northeast, or Left-wing Extremism-affected areas - and strict action will be taken against it. There has been complete alignment between the Centre and the states. We have improved the capacity of the states in governance, government functioning, and policing. Coordination between CAPF and state police has been enhanced. A system has been put in place to percolate actionable intelligence down to the ground level and responsibilities have been clearly defined. We started an All-Agency Approach and struck not only at weapons, but also at the entire network including NIA, ED, intelligence agencies, as well as their funding and support systems. We introduced an effective surrender policy.  In development and governance, we left no vacuum. Earlier, where there was no presence of the state, today the state is present. The biggest reason for the defeat of Naxalism is that the state has now reached every village and panchayats have been formed there. For development, we adopted a Whole of Government approach, and for tightening the noose of security, we adopted a Whole of Agency approach. Amit Shah said that he would like to mention three important dates - 20 August 2019, 24 August 2024, and yesterday, 31 March 2026. On 20 August 2019, a meeting was held in the Home Ministry in which the entire police coordination, modernisation, induction of retired Naxalites into the police force, and their coordination with intelligent.