New Delhi [India], March 31 (ANI): Union Home Minister Amit Shah on Monday reflected on the Prime Minsiter Narendra Modi-led central government's efforts in eradicating Naxalism from the country and recognised the Left-wing ideology as the 'root cause of Red Terror.'

While replying to the discussion in the Lok Sabha under Rule 193 on the efforts to free the country from Naxalism, Amit Shah said that the Left-wing extremists and their supporters had presented a false narrative before innocent tribals that they were fighting for their rights and to deliver justice to them.

He said that Naxalism has now been almost completely eradicated from Bastar, and a campaign has begun to build schools and open ration shops in every village there.

The Home Minister said that those who advocate for Naxalism should explain why all this did not happen from 1970 till now. He added that after the government of Prime Minister Narendra Modi came to power in 2014, every poor person across the country received a house, gas connection, drinking water, insurance up to Rs 5 lakh, and 5 kg of free food grains. However, the people of Bastar were left out because the truth was denied and due to the shadow of Red Terror, development could not reach there.

Shah said that Red Terror was not there because there was no development; rather, development could not happen there because of Red Terror. But today, the shadow of Red Terror has been removed, and Bastar is developing.

Amit Shah said that this is the government of Narendra Modi, and whoever picks up arms will have to face the consequences. The Home Minister said that the government is sensitive and wants to listen to all problems and resolve them. He said that the government has made schemes, but the Left-wing extremists and their supporters will not allow their implementation because they want their ideology, that is, their illegal rule, to continue there.

Shah said that even after 75 years of independence, the main opposition party ruled the country for 60 years, yet how did the tribals remain deprived of development? He added that it is now Narendra Modi who is bringing development. He said that the opposition party should introspect and see who is really at fault.

Union Home Minister said that a complete Red Corridor had been created across 12 states, including Chhattisgarh, Telangana, Andhra Pradesh, Odisha, Maharashtra, Madhya Pradesh, Jharkhand, Bihar, Bengal, Kerala, parts of Karnataka, and 3 districts of Uttar Pradesh.

In these areas, 12 crore people lived in poverty for years, and 20,000 youths lost their lives. Who is responsible for this? He said that the root cause of Naxalism is not the demand for development, but an ideology. The root cause of Naxalism is not a lack of development but Left-wing ideology, which was accepted by the leader of the then ruling party to win the Presidential election in 1969.

Amit Shah said that former Prime Minister Manmohan Singh had openly admitted before the entire country that the biggest internal security challenge facing the nation, compared to Kashmir and the Northeast, was the armed Maoists. He said that a change occurred in 2014, and under the leadership of Prime Minister Modi, several long-standing problems have been resolved. Article 370 and 35A were removed, a grand temple has been built at Ram Janmabhoomi, GST has become a reality, the Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA) has been enacted, and 33% reservation has been provided for women in legislative bodies.

Shah said that all the major tasks that the people of this country had been aspiring for since the time of independence have been accomplished in the 12 years of Narendra Modi's government. And now, the creation of a Naxalism-free India will also happen under the rule of Narendra Modi. Shah said that the past 12 years have proved to be very auspicious for the country. In these 12 years, a lot has been done to free the country from poverty, to bring a new education system for the youth, to ensure internal and external security, and to set aside policies not connected with the country's core values. He said that if one looks at the most historic and important decisions, then without any hesitation, a Naxalism-free India would rank at the top.

Union Home Minister said that the credit for the major development of a Naxalism-free India, which is about to take shape in the country, goes entirely to our Central Armed Police Forces, especially the jawans of CoBRA and CRPF, the state police -- particularly the jawans of Chhattisgarh State Police and DRG -- and the local tribals. He said that the people have also made a significant contribution to the elimination of Left-Wing Extremism.

Amit Shah said that this ideology has nothing to do with development or the demand for development. He questioned that what this ideology is. What is Maoist ideology? What is their guiding slogan? Their guiding slogan is 'Power flows from the barrel of the gun.' He said these people are not fighting for development, but for the survival and victory of their ideology, and to capture power by spreading their ideology among innocent tribals.

They have no faith in democracy. He said that some people have gone to the extent of comparing them with Shaheed Bhagat Singh and Bhagwan Birsa Munda. Are you comparing Shaheed Bhagat Singh and Bhagwan Birsa Munda -- who fought against the British -- with those who break the Constitution, pick up arms and kill innocent people? He said this ideology believes that only a prolonged war can spread their ideology.

They have no hesitation even in shedding the blood of their own people. The supporters of this ideology have not taken Bhagwan Birsa Munda, Shaheed Bhagat Singh or Subhas Chandra Bose as their ideals, but have instead chosen Mao as their ideal.

Union Home Minister and Minister of Cooperation said that the truth is that they had deliberately chosen the entire Red Corridor because the reach of the state was weak there. Innocent tribals were misled and weapons were placed in their hands. He said that the tribals who, since before 15 August 1947, had considered Bhagwan Birsa Munda, Tilka Manjhi, Rani Durgavati and the Murmu brothers as their heroes, how did those same tribals start considering Mao as their hero by the time 1970 arrived?

Shah said that it was not because of development or injustice, but because of the difficult geography and the absence of the state that the Leftists chose this area to spread their ideology and began misleading the innocent tribals. He said that the Left-wing extremists did not allow development to reach that area for years, but now under the governance of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, development is reaching every household there.

The Home Minister said that Naxalism did not spread because of poverty; rather, poverty remained in the entire region for years because of Naxalism. He said that the roots of Naxalism are not linked to poverty and lack of development, but are ideological.

Amit Shah said that the literacy rate in Naxalbari was 32%, in Bastar it was 23%, in Saharsa, Bihar it was 33%, and in Ballia, Uttar Pradesh it was 31%. Similarly, the per capita income in Naxalbari was 500, in Bastar it was 190, in Saharsa299, and in Ballia 374. He said that the per capita income in all four regions was more or less similar, yet Left-wing extremism flourished in Naxalbari and Bastar, but not in Saharsa and Ballia. This happened because the geography of Saharsa and Ballia was not favourable to them. There were no dense forests, rivers and streams, or hills to hide in. There was no favourable condition to carry weapons, conduct their movement, suppress the tribals, or forcibly link them with their ideology.He said that if development were the criterion, if per capita income were the criterion, then there were many parts of the country where development had not reached in 1970, but why did Naxalism not spread there?

Union Home Minister said that this is not a government that gets scared, but one that delivers justice to everyone. He said that the Naxalite movement began in the 1970s from Naxalbari and Bengal. In the single year of 1971, there were 3,620 incidents of violence there. By the 1980s, the People's War Group was formed and the movement spread to the states of Maharashtra, Madhya Pradesh, and Odisha. In the 1990s, the Left-wing ideology began to shrink and mergers started between extremist groups and Left-wing parties. In 2004, two major groups merged and formed the CPI (Maoist). From 1970 to 2004, except for four years, the entire period was under the rule of the main opposition party.

Amit Shah said that this was the period when the movement that started from Naxalbari spread to 12 states, covering 17% of the country's land area and more than 10% of its population. He said that without the support of those in power, it would have been impossible to create a Red Corridor right in the middle of the country, stretching from Tirupati to Pashupatinath. He said that out of the weapons that have been seized, 92% were looted from the police. Police stations and bullets were looted, and they were used to kill innocent jawans, children, and farmers. The Left-wing ideology propagated this through propaganda as if it were a delusion, spreading the narrative that arms were being picked up to escape injustice, in order to sustain their ideology.

Union Home Minister and Minister of Cooperation said that the fundamental principle of democracy is that any problem can be solved through debate, not through weapons. He said that the Naxalites tried to create a vacuum in this country -- a vacuum of the State, a vacuum of governance by destroying all systems, a vacuum of the Constitution by ending faith in it, and a vacuum of security by burning down police stations. The Home Minister said that the days of Maoists and Naxalites who indulge in violence are now over, and under the Modi government, this will not continue for long.

Amit Shah said that we should not make the mistake of considering Maoist extremists as people fighting a battle with arms against injustice, because Left-wing ideology has lost its base. That is why all Leftists are busy inventing different theories to save their existence. Their only agenda is to create a vacuum in the country. Their objective is to create a vacuum in the State, governance, Constitution, and security, and then carry out bloodshed, but this will no longer succeed.

Shah said that the Naxalites have hanged many innocent villagers by labelling them as 'enemy informers'. They have staged a farce in the name of 'People's Court', where there is no lawyer, no judge -- they themselves sit as judges, deliver verdicts themselves, and hang people themselves.

Union Home Minister said that the Naxalites created a false narrative in the name of 'People's government', and worked to stop development schemes. Their aim was to target the Constitution and the justice system and create a vacuum in the Constitution. Those who are now saying 'talk to them' should know that I have gone to Bastar and said on public platforms more than 50 times that they should lay down their arms and the government will make complete arrangements for their rehabilitation. He said that our government's policy is clear - dialogue is held only with those who surrender their weapons, but those who fire bullets are answered with bullets.

Amit Shah said that as soon as the Communist government was formed in Soviet Union, the CPI was established here in 1925. The Communist government was formed in Soviet Union and at the same time the CPI was founded here. Is there any relationship between the two? The Soviet government sponsored and helped in the creation of Communist parties across the world. Now, how can a party whose foundation itself was inspired by another country ever think of the welfare of our nation? These people had even supported the British.

In 1964, the Communist Party of India (Marxist) was formed. It is important to understand why CPI(M) was created. When the CPI already existed, why was CPI(M) formed? In 1964, a dispute arose between the Soviet Union and China.

As a result, two different ideological Communist governments emerged in the two Communist nations. As soon as these governments with different ideologies came into being, a China-supported party, the CPI (Marxist), was created here.

After that, in 1969, the CPI (ML) was established to oppose parliamentary politics. Its objective was not to create a vacuum for development or to protect rights. Its stated objective in its constitution was to oppose parliamentary politics and carry out an armed revolution.

Union Home Minister said that they formed the CPI (Marxist) with two objectives, armed revolution and opposition to parliamentary politics, and these are the same people who are today's Maoists. After that, in 1975, as soon as they received support from the Congress, the MCC (Maoist Communist Centre) was formed and it became a central party in Bihar and Jharkhand. Then the PWG (People's War Group) was formed in 1980, which was Andhra-centric.

In 1982, the CPI (ML) Party Unity was formed in Bihar with the objective of Dalit-Kisan Central Armed Struggle. In 1998, the People's War Group was formed and the Maoists united under it. Even after doing all this, they did not succeed. In 2000, the PLGA (People's Liberation Guerrilla Army) was created and a guerrilla force was established. In 2004, the PWG and MCC merged.

In 2014, PM Modi came to power and by 2026, the end of all of them has been achieved. This is their 101-year history from 1925 to 2026. Do not glorify this history by calling it a struggle against injustice. These people want to capture power through bullets instead of votes. Some people do not understand through dialogue. In such cases, force has to be used to protect innocent citizens from their atrocities. This is our party's government and Narendra Modi Ji has ensured the security of every citizen. Whoever commits injustice against citizens - if they understand, it is fine; otherwise, this force has been created for this very purpose. It will be used, results will come, and today the results have already started coming.

Amit Shah said that Urban Naxals say that we should hold talks with the Maoists who roam around with arms because they are fighting for injustice, they should not be killed, and there should be sympathy for them. He said that not a single intellectual writes for the farmers who become disabled, for the more than 5,000 jawans of the security forces who have been martyred, for their widows, or for their orphaned children.

He said that their humanity is only for those who break the Constitution and roam around with weapons. They have no humanity for the citizens who are being killed by their weapons, the official statement cited Shah as saying. We cannot accept this dual character of humanity. These people are not humanitarians; they are supporters of the Naxalites. These people want to spread their ideology by putting weapons in the hands of the poor, but their days are also over now, the statement added.

Union Home Minister said that Salwa Judum started in 2005 as a government-supported people's movement. Tribal youth were made Special Police Officers (SPOs) and were given training to fight against those spreading terror. Salwa Judum was started by Senior Congress leader Mahendra Karma, who was later killed by the Naxalites.

On 5 July 2011, Nandini Sundar and others filed a petition in the Supreme Court. The Supreme Court, under Justice Sudarshan Reddy, ruled that this fight by the state against Naxalites was illegal and immediately ordered the surrender of their weapons. As a result, their weapons were taken back, and the Naxalites selectively killed people associated with Salwa Judum. And the same Justice Sudarshan Reddy later became the opposition's candidate for the post of Vice President. Those who respect the country's law and order would never make Sudarshan Reddy their candidate.

He said that if a person, while acting as a judge, uses his personal ideology, wears constitutional robes, converts his ideology into an order, and delivers a judgment that leads to the death of thousands of innocent tribals, then we strongly condemn this judgment. Ideology cannot be placed above the welfare of the people.

Amit Shah said that under the leadership of Prime Minister Modi, since 2014, approval has been given for constructing 17,589 kilometres of roads in Naxalism-affected areas, out of which 12,000 kilometres of roads have already been built. Development is happening because Naxalism is gradually being eradicated. We have installed nearly 5,000 mobile towers at a cost of Rs 6,000 crore. Narendra Modi Ji has also decided to install another 8,000 4G towers under two other schemes. In the last 12 years, 1,804 bank branches have been opened, 1,321 ATMs have been installed, 37,850 Banking Correspondents have been appointed, and 6,025 post offices have been opened.

All this has happened in just 12 years. We did not hold talks with the Maoists; we eliminated them and pushed development forward. We have built 259 Eklavya Model Residential Schools. Along with this, 46 ITIs, 49 Skill Development Centres, and 16 Skill Development Centres have been established. We have spent nearly Rs 800 crore on all these in the last 12 years.

Under civic programmes, works worth Rs 212 crore have been carried out, related to health camps and medicines. We have also launched programmes for tribal youth exchange. For security, we introduced the SRE (Security Related Expenditure) scheme, under which Rs 3,000 crore has been provided to the states in 10 years. We also brought the Special Infrastructure Scheme and provided Rs 5,000 crore under it.

He asked that why did all this not happen from 1970 till now? Whenever previous governments tried to do it, those people would carry out blasts and kill them. We eliminated those who carried out the blasts, and now development is taking place.

Union Home Minister and Minister of Cooperation said that since 2014, a clear policy and strong political will have been attached to this work. He said that Narendra Modi Ji has made it absolutely clear that no illegal activity will be tolerated in any part of the country - whether it is Kashmir, the Northeast, or Left-wing Extremism-affected areas - and strict action will be taken against it. There has been complete alignment between the Centre and the states. We have improved the capacity of the states in governance, government functioning, and policing. Coordination between CAPF and state police has been enhanced.

A system has been put in place to percolate actionable intelligence down to the ground level and responsibilities have been clearly defined. We started an All-Agency Approach and struck not only at weapons, but also at the entire network including NIA, ED, intelligence agencies, as well as their funding and support systems. We introduced an effective surrender policy.

In development and governance, we left no vacuum. Earlier, where there was no presence of the state, today the state is present. The biggest reason for the defeat of Naxalism is that the state has now reached every village and panchayats have been formed there. For development, we adopted a Whole of Government approach, and for tightening the noose of security, we adopted a Whole of Agency approach.

Amit Shah said that he would like to mention three important dates - 20 August 2019, 24 August 2024, and yesterday, 31 March 2026. On 20 August 2019, a meeting was held in the Home Ministry in which the entire police coordination, modernisation, induction of retired Naxalites into the police force, and their coordination with intelligence agencies - all of this was designed on 20 August.

At that time, there was an opposition party government in Chhattisgarh which did not cooperate. Bihar had already become Naxalism-free before 2024. Maharashtra had become Naxalism-free before 2024, except for one tehsil. Odisha had become Naxalism-free before 2024. Jharkhand had become Naxalism-free before 2024, except for one district. Only Chhattisgarh was left because the opposition party's government there had been protecting the Naxalites.

In January 2024, our government was formed in Chhattisgarh and from the very next day, we received full support and assurance. A joint strategy was prepared and on 24 August 2024, we had announced that by 31 March 2026, Naxalism would be completely eradicated from the entire country.

Union Home Minister said that after this, we increased the security grid. In 11 years of Prime Minister Modi, 596 fortified police stations have been built. The number of Naxal-affected districts, which was 126 in 2014, has come down to just two today. The number of most-affected districts, which was 35 in 2014, is now zero. The number of police stations recording Naxal incidents, which was 350, has come down to 60 today. In the last 6 years, 406 new CAPF camps have been established, 68 night landing helipads have been built, 400 bullet-proof and blast-proof vehicles have been provided to our jawans, five hospitals have been built for our jawans, and the entire communication system has been strengthened.

Amit Shah said that if we look at the combined figures for 2024, 2025 and 2026, a total of 706 Naxalites were killed in encounters till March 2026 in these three years. 2,218 were arrested and sent to jails, while 4,839 surrendered. He said that the opposition talks about dialogue. The approach of governance should be that dialogue should be held with those who want to talk, but those who fire bullets at our jawans, farmers, tribals and children must be answered with bullets. We have used all three, dialogue, security and coordination. We have utilised the latest technology for precise surveillance and analysed a large number of telephone bills.

The Home Ministry led the entire campaign with the help of location tracking systems, mobile phone activities, scientific call logs, social media analysis, and support from forensic and technical institutions. This success has been achieved through drone surveillance, satellite usage, imaging technology and Artificial Intelligence-based data analysis.

In Bihar, Operation Octopus was conducted in the Burha Pahad area in 2022.

Operation Double Bull was conducted from 8 to 25 February 2022 in Gumla, Lohardaga and Latehar districts, after which all three districts became free from Naxalism.

Operation Thunderstorm was conducted from 1 to 3 September 2022 in Saraikela, West Singhbhum and Khunti districts of Jharkhand.

Operation Bhimbarg was conducted in Munger district in June and July 2022. Operation Chakrbandha was conducted in Gaya and Aurangabad districts of Bihar in 2022, and all these areas were freed from Naxalism.

Operation Black Forest was conducted on a hill spread over 50 km in length and 37 km in width on the Telangana-Chhattisgarh border.

The Naxalites had established a permanent camp there with arrangements to sustain fighting for 5 years - including weapons, solar lights, factories for making a large number of IEDs, and food grains stocked for 5 years. Besides this, 400 to 500 cadres were gathered there.

The Home Minister said that at a temperature of 45 degrees Celsius, the stones on the hill would become extremely hot. Jawans would sweat 2 to 3 litres, but they did not utter a word of complaint. The operation continued for 21 days. More than 30 Maoists were killed there, while the rest were either killed in encounters with the police as they came down or surrendered. We seized the entire cache of arms and ammunition.

This operation effectively ended the Maoist movement in Maharashtra, Chhattisgarh (Bastar) and Telangana. Shri Shah said that the jawans of COBRA, CRPF, DRG and Chhattisgarh Police have broken the fort of the Naxalites with inhuman patience and courage.

Union Home Minister said that at the beginning of 2024, there were a total of 21 members in the Central Committee and Politburo, which constituted the central leadership of their party. One has been arrested, seven have surrendered, 12 have been killed, and one is absconding - talks are also underway with him. All 21 Central Committee and Politburo members have been neutralised and their central structure has been completely broken.

In Dandakaranya, there was a State Committee of 27 members. Three were arrested, 20 surrendered, 11 were killed, and talks are continuing with two. Their main State Committee in Dandakaranya has been eliminated. In the MMC State Committee of Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra and Chhattisgarh, only three members were left - all three have surrendered. In Odisha, four were left - one surrendered and three were killed.

In OSC (Odisha), there were only 10 members - five surrendered and five were killed. In the Disturbed Region Bureau, one was arrested, three were killed, and one is absconding. In Telangana, six surrendered and three were killed - not a single one is left. Thus, their Politburo and CMC have been completely wiped out.

We had set a target to make the country Naxalism-free by 31 March, and we have achieved it. There is no hesitation now in saying that the country has become Naxalism-free.

Basvaraju, their General Secretary, has been neutralised. Hidma, who had killed 27 people, has been neutralised. Gajurella Ravi, who was active for 11 years, has been neutralised. Kadari Satyanarayana Reddy, active for 46 years, has been neutralised. Ganesh Uike, active for 44 years, has been neutralised. Venugopal has surrendered - he was active for 46 years. Vasudev has surrendered - he was active for 36 years. Palluri Prasad Rao Chandna, active for 46 years, has surrendered. Ramdev Manjhi Debu, active for 36 years, has surrendered. Tipri Tirupati, active for 44 years, has also surrendered. All the top armed Maoist leaders have been eliminated.

We have adopted an attractive rehabilitation policy under which an incentive of Rs 50,000 is given for surrender, which is doubled in case of group surrenders. The government provides mobile phones to all. Additional compensation is given for depositing weapons. Skill training and tool kits are provided at rehabilitation centres. We give them Rs 10,000 per month for 36 months. Prime Minister Narendra Modi has gifted all of them houses under the Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana. As soon as a village becomes Naxalism-free and a panchayat is formed, Rs 1 crore is given for the development of the village.

Amit Shah said that who is responsible for ruining the lives of 15,000 children by the Naxalites? You sit in air-conditioned chambers under the protection of the courts and write articles, while lives have been destroyed there and no one cares.He said that those who consider themselves champions of human rights should be asked who will worry about the human rights of a girl child who could not even apply mehndi till the age of 32?

He said that only Narendra Modi will worry about her, and no one else. He said that those who snatched away their rights will have to answer for it sooner or later.

Shah said that all those who have supported the Naxalites directly or indirectly through words or in disguised form are equally complicit in this sin as those who roam around with guns.

Union Home Minister said that we have made several efforts for their employment and jobs by setting up skill centres. We have provided free education up to Class 12 for their children. We have arranged loans of Rs 2 lakh for women and 5 lakh for men. We are promoting culture and sports there through the Bastar Olympics and Bastar Pandum.

More than 1.20 lakh artists participated in Bastar Pandum and 5.50 lakh tribals took part in the sports events. Those who call this a fight for justice should visit Bastar Pandum and Bastar Olympics. Shah said that you have plenty of time to deliver speeches in support of those who have committed atrocities on the victims.

Amit Shah said that when the government of former Prime Minister Manmohan Singh was formed, a National Advisory Council (NAC) was created. A new extra-constitutional forum was set up in the form of the National Advisory Council that virtually made laws for the country. He said that Harsh Mander was one of its members, whose NGO Aman Vedika had given responsibility to the wife of a top Naxal leader. Records show that she was involved in kidnapping cases in urban areas. He said that this NAC was formulating policies for the country.

Ramdayal Munda used to say that Naxal operations were harsher than necessary. He said that this covert support had only emboldened the Naxalites. He mentioned that Nandini Sundar, Ramachandra Guha, E.A.S. Sarma and others were also associated with the Salwa Judum case. He asked that when members of an extra-constitutional authority -- which was even above the Prime Minister -- are supporters of Naxalism, how will the morale of the Naxalites ever be broken? He said that this was done by the main opposition party. This is history, and those who oppose this fact should know that in the coming days, hundreds of books will be written that will be filled with your deeds.

Union Home Minister said that the Leader of Opposition has been seen many times in his long political career with Naxalites and their sympathisers. He said that several Naxal frontal organisations participated in the Bharat Jodo Yatra and there is a record of it. He said that in 2010, he was seen on stage with Lado Sikoka in Odisha. Sikoka gave an inflammatory speech from the same stage and was also garlanded by him.

He said that in 2018, the Leader of Opposition met Gummadi Vitthal Rao alias Gaddar in Hyderabad, who was close to their ideology. In May 2025, he met the Coordination Committee of Peace. He said that when Hidma - the one who killed 172 jawans - was eliminated, slogans were raised at India Gate: 'How many Hidmas will you kill? A Hidma will emerge from every house.' The Leader of the Opposition himself shared the video of these slogans.

Amit Shah said that the supporters of Naxalites have supported Naxalism from 1970 till March 2026. He said that this is support for massacre, and if there is one culprit behind the killing of 20,000 people, it is the Left-wing ideology of the main opposition party. He said that by living with Naxalites, this party and its leaders have themselves become Naxalites. He said that the people of this country will have to give their answer in the elections, because this matter will not stop here - it will go to the court of the people. (ANI)