INDIA TO BE FREE OF NAXAL MENACE BY 2026, TIME FOR FINAL ASSAULT: AMIT SHAH

Raipur, Aug 24 (PTI) India will be free from Left Wing Extremism (LWE) by March 2026, Union Home Minister Amit Shah said on Saturday and emphasised that a "strong and ruthless" strategy is required to launch the final assault against the menace.

The minister said this during a press conference here after he along with Chhattisgarh Chief Minister Vishnu Deo Sai and senior central and police officers reviewed the Maoist issue in the state and adjoining areas.

Shah also urged the Naxals to lay down arms and said that the Chhattisgarh government would announce a "new look" surrender policy in 1-2 months.

A Special Investigation Agency (SIA) constituted in Chhattisgarh on the lines of National Investigation Agency (NIA), will be strengthened, he said.

"If we want to address the Naxal issue in Chhattisgarh then the ecosystem of adjoining states should also be strong in tackling the menace. A strong and ruthless strategy is required for launching the last assault against Naxals," he said.

The home minister said Naxal violence is a challenge to democracy and the menace has claimed about 17,000 lives in the country.

"In the last four decades, 17,000 security personnel and civilians have lost their lives in the Maoist violence. Since the Narendra Modi-led government was formed at the Centre, it took the menace as a challenge. It has been fighting a successful battle against Left-Wing Extremism with a strategy on all three fronts of development, prosecution and operation", he said.

"We worked on dual objectives that are establishing the rule of law in naxal-affected areas and encouraging development by winning the confidence of people," he added.

He said there had been a 53 per cent drop in Naxal incidents during 2014-24 as compared to 2004-14.

"Between 2019 and 2024, Bihar, Jharkhand, Odisha, Andhra Pradesh and Madhya Pradesh got rid of Naxalism while Maharashtra was also freed from the menace except one district (referring to Gadchiroli) which is a big achievement for the Centre, he said.

In 2022, for the first time in four decades, the number of deaths due to left-wing violence has come down below 100, he said.

In 2004-14, as many as 16,274 incidents of Naxal violence were reported in the country which declined by 53 per cent in the next decade (during Modi rule) to 7,696. Similarly, the country also saw a decline in the number of deaths due to Maoist violence from 6,568 in 2004-14 to 1,990 in 2014-24, he said.

"Now the battle has reached its final stage. We believe we will be able to free the country from Left Wing Extremism by March 2026," Shah said.

Since 2019, he said, 277 CRPF camps have been set up so far in the Naxal-hit areas and efforts were to fill the security vacuum.

He said besides the security forces, central agencies like NIA and ED have also worked to dismantle Maoist finances.

He hailed the Vishnu Deo Sai government for its efforts on the anti-Naxal front. Since it came to power last year, 179 Naxalites were neutralised, 559 were arrested, 540 surrendered and 46 new camps of security forces were established.

Shah said his ministry and the Chhattisgarh government will launch a campaign in the state to educate people who remained illiterate due to Left-Wing Extremism.

He said the Centre is committed to the development of the Naxal-hit areas of the state and appealed to Maoists to give up arms and join the mainstream.

Asked about reports of privatisation of NMDC steel's plant in the Nagarnar area of Bastar, Shah said, "It has already been clarified during elections. The steel plant is not only the job creating unit as there are multiple employment generating avenues."

To queries on the now scrapped Article 370 and the poll promise by NC and PDP to work for restoration of special status of Jammu and Kashmir, the home minister said that the provision will not be restored ever.

On the probability of starting the delayed decadal census, Shah said, "It will be carried out at an appropriate time. Once decided, I will announce how it will be done."

In response to a question on the alliance between Congress and the National Conference for the upcoming assembly elections in Jammu and Kashmir, Shah slammed the grand-old party and questioned if it supported the NC's demand of introducing a separate flag for the state.

"Do they (Congress) support the demand on Article 370. Do they support ending the reservation to Scheduled Castes, Tribes and Other Backward Classes in Kashmir (that is being provided after the removal of 370)," he said. PTI TKP NES ACB RT

2024-08-24T17:38:39Z dg43tfdfdgfd