‘Naxalism will be completely uprooted in 1-1.5 years’: Home Minister Amit Shah

NEW DELHI: Union Home Minister Amit Shah, in an assertive statement, on Friday said that the government will uproot Naxalism and the idea of Naxalism from the country in a span of 1-1.5 years.

During an interaction with the Naxal violence victims from Chhattisgarh, Shah said “We will uproot Naxalism and the idea of Naxalism from this country and establish peace…The Narendra Modi government has been successful in ending Naxalism in the entire country except for four districts of Bastar. The date of 31.03.2026 has been fixed to bid final farewell to Naxalism from this country. I assure you that Naxalism will be ended before that.”

“I cannot retract the damage that has already been done, but I will try to ensure that innocent people don’t have to face any such issues,” he added.

#WATCH | Union Home Minister Amit Shah says, “We will uproot Naxalism and the idea of ​​Naxalism from this country and establish peace…The Narendra Modi government has been successful in ending Naxalism in the entire country except for 4 districts of Bastar. The date of… https://t.co/fvlyVxH52u pic.twitter.com/xlyxTFgG67

— ANI (@ANI) September 20, 2024

Guaranteeing complete support from the Centre for improved infrastructure and resources in the area, Shah stated, “The Chhattisgarh government has requested help from the central government for the PM Awas Yojana and sanitation facilities. These services will be provided to you. The Home Ministry will manage health facilities linked to the Yojana, and a detailed plan will be created in partnership with the state government to tackle the Naxal issue”.

Shah encouraged those involved in Naxal activities to abandon their weapons and reintegrate into society. He stated that the government could soon launch a campaign to encourage this. “Lay down your weapons and return to the mainstream — many in Kashmir have made that choice, and you can too. If not, we will initiate a campaign to encourage this change”, he said.

Notably, there have been continuous efforts by the government to end naxalism in India. In a recent operation, a Naxal was killed an encounter with security forces in the Sukma district of Chhattisgarh on Saturday. According to the Sukma police, the encounter took place early in the morning in the jungles on a hill near Tumalpad village under Chintagufa police station limits when a joint team of security personnel was out on an anti-Naxalite operation.

Moreover, four battalions of the Central Reserve Police Forces (CRPF) comprising 4,000 CRPF personnel are set to be deployed in Bastar for anti-insurgency operations. On August 24, during an inter-state coordination meeting with Chhattisgarh Chief Minister Vishnu Deo Sai, Chief Secretaries and Director Generals of Police of Chhattisgarh and neighbouring states suffering from Left-wing extremism in the area, Union Home Minister Amit Shah said that there was a 70 per cent reduction in the deaths of security personnel who were killed due to Naxalism and that the fight has reached the end phase and by March 2026, the country will be completely free from Naxalism.

“In the first 10 years, 6617 security personnel were killed and now there has been a 70 per cent reduction. Similarly, we have witnessed a 69 per cent reduction in the deaths of citizens. I believe that our fight has reached the end phase and by March 2026, we will be able to free the country completely from Naxalism”, Shah said. (ANI)