Union Home Minister Amit Shah on Monday declared that the country has become free from Naxals with the apex body of the Maoists and the central structure almost completely dismantled, and accused the Congress of doing "nothing" to end the long spell of violence perpetrated by the ultras.
Replying to the debate in the Lok Sabha on 'Efforts to free the country from left-wing extremism (LWE)', Shah also alleged that Congress leader Rahul Gandhi was seen multiple times in public with sympathisers of Naxals and even posted videos "sympathetic" to the Maoists from his social media handle.
Targeting the Congress, the Home Minister claimed that former prime minister Indira Gandhi had accepted the support of the Naxals in an election in the 1970s in then undivided Andhra Pradesh and remained "influenced" by the Maoist ideology.
"Experts say without the support of those in power, the Red Corridor could not have been created," he said, referring to the region affected by Naxalism across Chhattisgarh, Jharkhand, Odisha, Maharashtra, Kerala, West Bengal, Madhya Pradesh, Andhra Pradesh and Telangana.
The debate was held a day before the deadline declared by Shah for the elimination of Naxal violence.
Last year, Shah had announced that the LWE would end in the country by March 31, 2026, and a major operation had been organised against the Naxals.
Giving details of the success achieved by the security forces against the Naxals, the Home Minister said all members of the state committees of Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra, and Chhattisgarh have surrendered and of the four remaining in Odisha, one has surrendered and three have been killed.
He said in Telangana, six have surrendered, three have been killed and now not a single one remains there.
"Their Politburo and central structure have been almost completely dismantled. Our goal was a Naxal-free India by March 31. The country will be informed once the entire process is formally completed, but I can say that we have become Naxal-free," he announced on the floor of the House.
"It is the policy of our government that talks are held only with those who lay down their arms and a bullet is answered with a bullet," he said.
The Home Minister said 12 states had turned into the 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 the Naxal violence.
"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 told the opposition.
He 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.
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Shah said the then prime minister Manmohan Singh had acknowledged that Naxalism was a bigger challenge than the Kashmir and North-East problems before the nation, but the "Congress did nothing about it".
Be it in Naxal-affected areas, Jammu and Kashmir or the Northeast, the Modi government will not tolerate any kind of violence and will take strong action against anyone indulging in such acts, the Home Minister asserted in the Lok Sabha.
The Home Minister made it clear that the Modi government will not spare anyone who picks up arms.
"The biggest achievement of the Modi government is a Naxal-free India; any researcher will accept this," he said.
He said those advocating Naxalism should know that people who take up arms will have to pay a price.
The solution for addressing injustice is prescribed in the Constitution. Taking up arms is not the answer, he said.
Claiming that several frontal organisations of the Maoists participated in Rahul Gandhi's 'Bharat Jodo Yatra' (in 2022-23) and he has records on this, the Home Minister alleged that the Leader of Opposition in Lok Sabha has been seen multiple times with Naxal sympathisers in public platforms.
"When (Naxal leader) Hidma, who killed 172 soldiers, was eliminated, slogans were raised at India Gate... 'How many Hidmas will you kill, a Hidma will emerge from every home', and Rahul Gandhi himself tweeted this video," he said, adding the Congress supported the Naxals from 1970 up to March 2026.
"I just want to ask those people who were advocating for Naxalism here, why was it not resolved from 1970 until now," he said.
He said that the development in Bastar had stalled because the shadow of red terror loomed there. "Now this shadow is lifting and Bastar is developing," he said while lauding security forces and tribals for the success against the Naxals.
Shah also said that all credit for the success against the 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.
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He said after the Narendra Modi government came to power in 2014, "every poor person in the country got a house, got gas, got clean drinking water, got health insurance up to 5 lakh, got 5 kg of free grain per person per month but why were those living in Bastar left out".
"I am saying this because the truth is being denied. These people in Bastar were left out because the shadow of red terror loomed there, so development could not reach there.
"In the Modi government today, that shadow has been lifted, and therefore Bastar is developing today. This is the Narendra Modi government, which will settle the score with anyone who picks up arms," he said.
The Home Minister said he had said it many times to the Naxals that they should lay down arms and complete arrangements for their rehabilitation would be made.
"It is the policy of our government that talks are held only with those who lay down their arms and a bullet is answered with a bullet," he said.
Shah said many innocent villagers were labelled as 'enemy informers' by them and killed.
The Naxals set up a system called 'people's court', where they themselves would pass judgments and also give punishments, he said, adding, in this country, the rule of the Constitution prevails and justice can only be administered in the courts.
The Home Minister said the Maoists established a parallel government in Bastar, had their own 'home minister' and a separate 'food supply minister' to distribute the looted grain.
"Some people do not yield to discussions. Force has to be used against them. Innocent citizens have to be protected from their atrocities.
"They planted bombs in the farmers' fields, crippling them. Raids were conducted in schools and children were recruited as Naxals. Under the Modi government, the security of every citizen has been ensured. If someone understands this, that is fine. Otherwise, the forces are created for this very day," he said.
(This story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
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