Raipur: Union Home Minister Amit Shah on Saturday said that India will be free from Naxalism by March 2026 and that the time has come for the final assault against the violence simultaneously appealing to the Naxalites to give up violence and surrender.
He said the Centre continues to fill up the security vacuum in Left Wing Extremism-affected areas while also carrying out security operations and development works in those places side-by-side. The affirmation from the home minister came during a press conference attending a key meeting on the Naxalite problem in Chhattisgarh’s Raipur.
Urging Naxals to shun violence, Shah announced that the Chhattisgarh government would announce a “new look” surrender policy in 1-2 months. “A strong and ruthless strategy is required for launching the last assault against Naxals,” he said.
#WATCH | Raipur, Chhattisgarh: Union Home Minister Amit Shah says, ” In the first 10 years, 6617 security personnel and citizens were killed and now there has been a 70% reduction…I believe that our fight has reached the end phase and by March 2026, we will be able to free the… pic.twitter.com/whj1FWWCnU
— ANI (@ANI) August 24, 2024
The Home Minister described Naxal violence as a challenge to democracy, noting that it has claimed around 17,000 lives in the country. He highlighted a 53 percent decrease in Naxal incidents between 2014 and 2024 compared to the period from 2004 to 2014.
Shah emphasised that it’s time to deliver a decisive blow to Left Wing Extremism with a robust strategy. He mentioned that the government has been working to address the security gaps in LWE-affected areas, with security forces conducting operations alongside development initiatives.
He also stated that, in addition to security forces, central agencies like the NIA and ED have been instrumental in dismantling Maoist financial networks.
“We are confident that we will be able to rid the country of Left Wing Extremism by March 2026,” Shah declared. When asked about the now-repealed Article 370, which granted special status to Jammu and Kashmir, the Home Minister firmly stated that the provision will never be restored.
