New Delhi [India], March 30 : Home Minister Amit Shah said on Monday that the government had set the target of eliminating Naxalism by March 31 this year, and he can say with confidence that "we have become Naxal-free".
Replying to the debate in Lok Sabha on efforts to free the country from Left Wing Extremism, Amit Shah slammed Rahul Gandhi, who is the Leader of Opposition in Lok Sabha, and alleged that the Congress leader has been seen on numerous occasions with Naxals and their sympathisers.
He gave details of action taken by security forces in tackling Naxalism and said 4,839 (Naxalites) have surrendered, 2,218 have been sent to jail, and 706 who refused to surrender and remained in hiding were gunned down by the police in encounters.
"We had set a target to make the region Naxal-free by March 31st. After the entire process, I'll inform the nation. However, I can state with absolute confidence that we've indeed become Naxal-free," he said.
"Bihar had become Naxal-free prior to 2024. Maharashtra, barring a single tehsil, had become Naxal-free before 2024. Odisha had become Naxal-free prior to 2024. Jharkhand, except for one district, had become Naxal-free before 2024," he added.
Amit Shah alleged that Congress government which was in power in Chhattisgarh, had "shielded Naxalites
"The Congress government in Chhattisgarh shielded the Naxalites...Now, I would like to speak about their leader Rahul Gandhi. Throughout his long political career, Rahul Gandhi was seen on numerous occasions with Naxals and their sympathisers. There is a record showing that several Naxal frontal organisations participated in the Bharat Jodo Yatra. In 2010, in Odisha, he shared a stage with Lado Sikoka. From that very platform, Sikoka delivered an inflammatory speech and even garlanded Rahul Gandhi... From the 1970s right up until March 2026, they have consistently supported Naxalism," he alleged.
He attacked the opposition parties for having made former Supreme Court judge B Sudarshan Reddy their candidate in the Vice Presidential election and condemned his "Salwa Judum" case judgement which was delivered in 2011.
Amit Shah said after the "Salwa Judum" case judgement, Naxalites targeted and killed "individuals associated with Salwa Judum".
"On July 5, 2011, following a petition filed by Nandini Sundar and others, the Supreme Court, under a bench headed by Justice Sudarshan Reddy, ruled that the State's battle against the Naxalites was unlawful. What was the consequence? They systematically targeted and killed those associated with the Salwa Judum movement and that very same Sudarshan Reddy subsequently became the Opposition's candidate for the post of Vice President," he said.
"Anyone who truly believes in the rule of law and the maintenance of law and order in this country would never have chosen Sudarshan Reddy as their candidate," he added.
B Sudarshan Reddy lost the Vice-Presidential to CP Radhakrishnan.
Amit Shah alleged that "Urban Naxals" supported Naxalites and said that while they called for dialogue with those wielding arms, their humanity did not extend to people who bore brunt of their violence.
"I want to pose a question to 'Urban Naxals' who have come forward in support of these individuals. Over the past six days, I have reviewed approximately two thousand articles, and the central theme running through all these articles is that the government should engage in dialogue with those Maoists who roam around bearing arms; that they are fighting for justice and should not be killed; that we should harbor sympathy towards them; and that the government must accelerate development initiatives," Amit Shah said
"It appears that your sense of humanity is confined solely to those who flout the Constitution and carry weapons; it does not extend to the ordinary citizens who are being killed by the very same weapons wielded by these individuals," he added.
Tracing the growth of Naxalism, Amit Shah said that CPI (ML) was established in In 1969, specifically to oppose parliamentary politics and its objective was "to carry out an armed revolution by opposing parliamentary politics".
"The moment a communist government was formed in Russia, the CPI-the Communist Party of India- was established here in 1925. The Russian government, through its sponsorship, facilitated the creation of communist parties across the entire world. A branch of this was established here in our country. Now, how can a party--the very foundation of which was laid under the inspiration of a foreign nation--think about the best interests of our own country? CPI(M) was formed in 1964," Amit Shah said
"In 1969, specifically to oppose parliamentary politics, the CPI (ML) was established. Its objective was not to create a developmental vacuum, nor was it to protect rights. The objective enshrined in its constitution was to carry out an armed revolution by opposing parliamentary politics," he added.