Emphasising on a ruthless strategy against Left Wing Extremism (LWE) and incentives for surrender of Naxalites, Union Home Minister Amit Shah on Saturday said that the country would be free from LWE by March 2026.
Mr. Shah made the declaration at a press conference held here after he chaired a review meeting on LWE and inter-state coordination meeting with Chief Secretaries and Director Generals of Police of Chhattisgarh, the State affected worst by Naxalism, and neighbouring States.
Also Read: In 2024, Maoists suffer severe setbacks in Chhattisgarh
Asserting that the four-decade long war against LWE had reached a decisive stage, he said the Narendra Modi government at the Centre was fighting the battle with a strategy on all three fronts of development, prosecution and operation, as a result of which this problem had now been reduced to a great extent.
Presenting a slew of statistics comparing the decades between 2004-2014 and 2014-2024, the Home Minister said that there was a 53% reduction in incidents and 70% reduction in the number of security personnel and citizens who lost their lives due to the conflict. The number of districts affected by LWE had also come down from 126 in 2013 to 38 in 2024.
“Between 2019 and 2024, Bihar, Jharkhand, Odisha, Andhra Pradesh and Madhya Pradesh got rid of Naxalism while Maharashtra was also freed from the menace except one district (referring to Gadchiroli) which is a big achievement for the Centre,” he said.
Lauding the Vishnu Deo Sai-led BJP government in Chhattisgarh for its efforts in the anti-Naxal front since late 2023, he said 179 Naxalites were neutralised, 559 arrested, 540 surrendered and 46 new camps of security forces were established in its tenure so far.
Also Read: Amit Shah seeks Congress stance on NC’s resolve to restore Article 370
New surrender policy
He further said the Chhattisgarh government would also announce a surrender policy with a new look in a month or two. “My appeal to all the youth whether involved in Left Wing Extremism or associated with it is that the Government of India is committed to the development of this region. The Government of India is committed to your development. You give your 100% to the surrender policy and give up arms,” he said.
Evades question on Nagarnar Steel Plant
The Union Minister sidestepped questions on the privatisation of NMDC Steel Limited-operated steel plant in Bastar’s Nagarnar. Answering one question on the subject, Mr. Shah said the clarification had been given during the last elections. In response to another question on job creation in light of the possible privatisation of the plant, he said the steel plant was not the only job creating unit as there were multiple avenues generating employment.
On Census
On a question about the long-awaited Census that has been delayed, Mr. Shah said it would be done at the appropriate time. “...once decided, I will announce how it will happen and when it will happen,” he said.
