Shah Declares End Of Naxalism

Speaking at the end of a long discussion in the Lok Sabha on Monday evening under Rule 193 on “efforts to free the country from left-wing extremism”, Shah made it clear the Centre was willing to talk to those who laid down their arms but said the government had responded to those Maoists firing bullets by firing bullets back at them. “The government’s policy is very clear… It is not scared of threats but believes in delivering justice,” he said, adding that Maoism that was once touted as stretching from “Tirupati (in Andhra Pradesh) to Pashupati (the site of the famous temple in Nepal)” has almost been eradicated now even from its former den Bastar in Chhattisgarh.

Attacking the LoP, Shah said that Naxalites had actively participated in Gandhi’s “Bharat Jodo Yatra”. He said when top Naxalite Hidma (who was responsible for the killing of 172 paramilitary soldiers) was killed, there was a pro-Naxalite demonstration at New Delhi’s India Gate, in which slogans in support of Hidma were chanted. He said Gandhi had tweeted the video of that protest. Shah also alleged in the House that several pro-Naxal sympathisers had been given prominent positions in various capacities by the previous Congress-led UPA government at the Centre. He also lashed out at senior Congress leader and former home minister P. Chidambaram, whom he alleged had made conciliatory pleas to the Naxals even after scores of paramilitary soldiers had been killed by them.

The home minister also criticised former Supreme Court judge B. Sudershan Reddy for his 2011 ruling that declared the (State-supported anti-Naxal militia) Salwa Judum as unconstitutional and ordered its disbanding. He said that after that judgment, when weapons were taken back from tribal youth, they were slaughtered subsequently by the well-armed Naxals. “I condemn such a judgment in which the judge peddles his personal opinion in the form of a judgment,” Shah said, as the treasury benches applauded. He said the former judge was later promptly declared the joint Opposition candidate for vice-president last year. “The Congress denied any understanding (with pro-Naxal elements). I say this was your understanding”, Shah said.

He also attacked former Prime Minister Indira Gandhi of surrendering to the Naxal ideology in order to remain in power in the 1960s and 1970s. There were loud protests from the Congress benches as Shah continued slamming the main Opposition party. “I want to tell (the House) that the root cause of Naxalism is not the demand of development, but an ideology, to win the presidential election, from 1970 Indira ji accepted that (Leftist ideology). Due to the Leftist ideology, Naxalism spread,” he said.

The home minister further said that “innocent tribals were misled” by the Communists and given guns to rebel. He said the Leftists had selected remote regions in the country, where the reach of the State was limited, to peddle their Naxal ideology. Responding to arguments that Naxalism began due to neglect of tribals, the home minister questioned the Congress, which was in power for a vast majority of the years since Independence till the time Naxalism became rampant. “Why did your development not include the tribals,” he asked the Congress.

Shah recalled that his ministry had set the deadline in August 2024, of eradicating Maoism/Naxalism by March 31, 2026. He recalled how the “politburo” of the CPI (Maoist) and other organisational structures had been completely dismantled, with some having been killed in encounters while others were captured or had surrendered. He said 706 Naxalites had been killed in encounters and over 2,200 captured and imprisoned to face justice, while about 4,800 Naxalites had surrendered, refuting allegations levelled by the Opposition that the government was keen on only physically eliminating the Naxalites.

Shah accused the Naxals of destroying the future of 15,000 children over the decades. He recalled how a young teenaged girl from the tribal belt had broken down on seeing nail polish and had recounted how she was abducted at the age of seven by the Naxals and made to join their ranks while compulsorily being made to wear shirts, trousers and boots as part of Naxal operations. Hitting out at pro-Naxal articles written over the years that glorified the insurgents, he said such “Urban Naxal” writers had never felt or written about the pain of those women who were widowed when their husbands were killed by the Naxals or the agony of children who had lost their fathers to the scourge of Naxalism.

Shah said that 12 states had previously turned into the Red Corridor with no rule of law, while 12 crore people lived in poverty for years and 20,000 people, including 5,000 security personnel, were killed due to the Naxal violence.

“In the end, who is responsible for this? I want to ask, in 75 years, you (the Congress) ruled for 60 years, why have the tribals still been deprived of development? The development of tribals is now being done by Prime Minister Narendra Modi,” he said. The home minister alleged that for 60 years, the Congress “did not give the tribals houses, didn't give them water, didn't build schools, didn't extend bank facilities”. He added: “So, first look a little into your own reign and see who is at fault”.

Shah said former Prime Minister Manmohan Singh had acknowledged that Naxalism was a bigger challenge than the Kashmir and North-East problems before the nation, but that the “Congress did nothing about it”. He said the development in Bastar had stalled because the shadow of “red terror” loomed there. “Now this shadow is lifting and Bastar is developing,” he said, while lauding security forces and tribals for the success against the Naxals. “The biggest achievement of the Modi government is a Naxal-free India; any researcher will accept this,” he added.