RAIPUR: Union home minister Amit Shah Monday termed Naxalism a “tragedy for the poor and tribal communities” and reiterated his pledge to meet the deadline of eliminating the menace by March next year.
“When the country becomes free from Naxalism in March 2026, that moment will be one of the most defining moments in India’s post-Independence history,” he said during an interaction with security personnel in Nava Raipur.
Insurgency has claimed over 40,000 lives in last 35 years and left countless others permanently disabled, he added.
Blaming Naxalism for blocking access to basic amenities like food, housing, and healthcare in tribal-dominated areas, Shah drew a poignant contrast between violence and education. “When a child from a Naxal-affected region picks up a pencil instead of a gun, it is not just the future of that region, but that of the entire nation that changes,” he said.
“Wherever Naxalism is retreating, govt is sending in food, schools, houses, electricity, toilets, and drinking water,” Shah said, adding that this inclusive approach is breaking the backbone of ‘red terror’.
Shah also conducted a detailed review of the ongoing anti-Naxal operations and met the security personnel involved in the operations that neutralised CPI (Maoist) general secretary Basvaraju in Abujhmarh and other top Maoists in Karregutta hills.