NEW DELHI: Union home minister Amit Shah on Tuesday chaired the interstate coordination meeting on Naxalism and claimed that the government will be able to free the country from Left Wing extremism by March 2026.
After the coordination meeting , Shah said, ” 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 country completely from Naxalism.”
“We believe that Naxalism is the biggest challenge for the democratic system in our nation. In the last four decades, 17,000 people lost their lives because of Naxalism. Since PM Modi-led BJP came to power at the Centre, we have accepted this as a challenge and tried to bring those who have weapons in the hands (Naxalites) into the mainstream,” he added.
The home minister said that the country has witnessed 53 percent drop in the Naxal incidents during 2014-24 as compared to 2004-14 period.
“We have neutralised Naxal leaders, and have worked with two objectives – first was to establish Rule of Law in Naxal-affected areas and the second was to develop such areas,” he said.
Shah further asserted that the government is working towards filling the security vacuum in the left wing extremism hit areas and through various security operations. Meanwhile, developmental works are also ongoing side by side in these regions.
The review meeting on Naxalism was attended by senior officials of seven states. Among those taking part were Chhattisgarh chief minister Vishnu Deo Sai and deputy CM Vijay Sharma, Union minister of state for home Nityanand Rai as well as chief decretaries and director generals of Police (DGPs) of Chhattisgarh, Jharkhand, Odisha, Madhya Pradesh, Andhra Pradesh, Telangana and Maharashtra.
Anti-Naxalite operations have intensified in Chhattisgarh since the BJP came to power in last year’s assembly elections. As many as 142 Naxalites have been killed by security forces so far this year. During the recent Lok Sabha campaign, Shah had said Naxalism would be eliminated in three years in Chhattisgarh if Prime Minister Narendra Modi is elected for a third term.
After the coordination meeting , Shah said, ” 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 country completely from Naxalism.”
“We believe that Naxalism is the biggest challenge for the democratic system in our nation. In the last four decades, 17,000 people lost their lives because of Naxalism. Since PM Modi-led BJP came to power at the Centre, we have accepted this as a challenge and tried to bring those who have weapons in the hands (Naxalites) into the mainstream,” he added.
The home minister said that the country has witnessed 53 percent drop in the Naxal incidents during 2014-24 as compared to 2004-14 period.
“We have neutralised Naxal leaders, and have worked with two objectives – first was to establish Rule of Law in Naxal-affected areas and the second was to develop such areas,” he said.
Shah further asserted that the government is working towards filling the security vacuum in the left wing extremism hit areas and through various security operations. Meanwhile, developmental works are also ongoing side by side in these regions.
The review meeting on Naxalism was attended by senior officials of seven states. Among those taking part were Chhattisgarh chief minister Vishnu Deo Sai and deputy CM Vijay Sharma, Union minister of state for home Nityanand Rai as well as chief decretaries and director generals of Police (DGPs) of Chhattisgarh, Jharkhand, Odisha, Madhya Pradesh, Andhra Pradesh, Telangana and Maharashtra.
Anti-Naxalite operations have intensified in Chhattisgarh since the BJP came to power in last year’s assembly elections. As many as 142 Naxalites have been killed by security forces so far this year. During the recent Lok Sabha campaign, Shah had said Naxalism would be eliminated in three years in Chhattisgarh if Prime Minister Narendra Modi is elected for a third term.