After the BJP government came to power in Naxal-affected Chhattisgarh, continuous action was taken against Naxalism. In the last eight months, 147 Naxalites have been killed in encounters. 631 surrendered. Union Home Minister Amit Shah shared this information. He appealed to the Naxal cadre to lay down arms and join the mainstream of development.
The country will be completely free from naxalism by March 31, 2026. After reviewing the anti-Naxal operation with the Director Generals of Police and Chief Secretaries of Chhattisgarh and the states bordering it on Saturday, Union Home Minister Amit Shah said that the entire ecosystem of Naxalism (left-wing extremism) will have to be demolished with a ruthless strategy.
A new surrender policy is coming soon in Chhattisgarh
Citing the shrinking area of Naxalites and the success of security forces against them, Shah said that the fight against Naxalism is in its final stage and strict action will continue to end it. He appealed to the Naxalites to lay down their arms and join the stream of development and also announced that a new surrender policy would be made in Chhattisgarh soon. A new surrender policy will be made in Chhattisgarh
Citing the shrinking area of Naxalites and the success of security forces against them, Shah said that the fight against Naxalism is in its final stage and strict action will continue to end it. He appealed to the Naxalites to lay down their arms and join the stream of development, and he also announced that a new surrender policy would be made in Chhattisgarh soon.
147 Naxalites killed in eight months
According to Shah, after the BJP government came to power in Chhattisgarh, the operation against Naxalites has increased significantly in the last eight months. 147 Naxalites were killed in encounters, 631 surrendered, and 723 were arrested. This is a record. During this time, security forces also established 33 new camps in the stronghold of Naxalites.
Naxalites can flee to other states
In view of the possibility of Naxalites fleeing to other states due to increasing pressure in Chhattisgarh, the Director Generals of Police and Chief Secretaries of all the states bordering it, i.e. Jharkhand, Odisha, Andhra Pradesh, Telangana, Maharashtra, and Madhya Pradesh were also included in the meeting. Shah said that all the states were united to stop the movement of Naxalites, and the central agencies were helping them fully.
Giving people a chance to surrender is a priority
The Home Minister made it clear that giving a chance to surrender to the Naxalite cadre was the priority of the government. For this, the Chhattisgarh government is going to bring in a new surrender policy, and Naxalites from other states active in Chhattisgarh can also take advantage of it. However, the campaign to eliminate Naxalites who do not surrender will continue.
In the meeting, he assured that 100% of the people in the Naxal-free areas would benefit from public welfare schemes. He assured development at three levels in these areas, which include the development of people from individual to village and region.
Operations will be reviewed every week
Shah stressed coordination between operations and development in the meeting. Under this, Director Generals of Police were asked to review anti-Naxal operations every week and Chief Secretaries were asked to review the implementation of development schemes every 15 days. Presenting the data of the shrinking support base of Naxalites, Shah said that in 2010, 107 districts and 565 police stations were Naxal-affected, which has now been reduced to 42 districts and 171 police stations.
These areas are free from naxalism.
Shah said that during the Modi government, there has been significant success in anti-Naxal operations, and in the last 10 years, there has been a 53 per cent reduction in Naxal encounters, 73 per cent in the deaths of security force personnel, and 69 per cent in the killing of civilians. He said that between 2019 and 2024, Bihar, Jharkhand, Odisha, Andhra Pradesh, and Madhya Pradesh became free from Naxalism, while Maharashtra has also become free from this threat except one district (Gadchiroli).
SIA will be strengthened
The NIA and ED have helped break the entire financial system of Naxalites. A new procurement policy is being made to eliminate the possibility of Naxal funding in the purchase of tendu leaves. Similarly, the State Investigation Agency (SIA), formed on the lines of the NIA, will be strengthened to expedite legal action against Naxalites.
Article 370 cannot come back into the Constitution
Shah said bluntly that Articles 370 and 35A have been repealed from the Constitution, and now they will never be a part of the Constitution. Shah said this while answering a question asked about bringing Articles 370 and 35A back into the Constitution in the manifesto of the National Conference. He also said that the Congress, which has an alliance with them, should answer whether it supports it or not.
A census will be conducted at the right time
On a question related to the census, Shah said that the decennial census will be conducted at the right time. When the program is decided, it will be announced. The Census exercise was to be done across the country from April 1 to September 30, 2020, but it was postponed due to COVID-19.