‘Those Who Fire Bullets Will Be Answered with Bullets; Dialogue Only with Those Who Surrender Weapons’
BuzzBytes News Desk
New Delhi,: Union Home Minister Amit Shah on Monday reflected on the Narendra Modi-led central government’s efforts in eradicating Naxalism from the country and recognised Left-wing ideology as the “root cause of Red Terror,” asserting that Naxalism has now been almost completely eradicated from Bastar and development is finally reaching the region after decades of neglect.
Replying to a discussion in the Lok Sabha under Rule 193 on efforts to free the country from Naxalism, Shah said that Left-wing extremists and their supporters had presented a false narrative before innocent tribals that they were fighting for their rights. 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 Modi government came to power in 2014, every poor person across the country received a house, gas connection, drinking water, insurance up to ₹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.
“The root cause of Naxalism is not the demand for development, but an ideology,” Shah asserted. He 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. Shah 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 became a reality, the Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA) was enacted, and 33 per cent reservation was provided for women in legislative bodies.
Shah said that the past 12 years have proved to be very auspicious for the country. He credited the Central Armed Police Forces, especially the jawans of CoBRA and CRPF, state police, particularly the jawans of Chhattisgarh State Police and DRG, and local tribals for the major development of a Naxalism-free India. He said that the people have also made a significant contribution to the elimination of Left-Wing Extremism.
“Those who pick up arms will have to face the consequences,” Shah warned, adding that the government is sensitive and wants to listen to all problems and resolve them. However, he said that Left-wing extremists and their supporters will not allow implementation of government schemes because they want their ideology—their illegal rule—to continue there.
Questioning the ideological foundations of Naxalism, Shah said that 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. He strongly condemned comparisons between Maoists and freedom fighters, saying, “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?”
Shah traced the history of Left-wing extremism from the establishment of CPI in 1925, the formation of CPI(M) in 1964 following the Sino-Soviet split, the creation of CPI(ML) in 1969 with the objective of opposing parliamentary politics and carrying out armed revolution, and the eventual merger of PWG and MCC in 2004 to form CPI (Maoist). He noted that from 1970 to 2004, except for four years, the entire period was under the rule of the main opposition party, and questioned how a Red Corridor stretching from Tirupati to Pashupatinath could have been created without the support of those in power.
The Home Minister revealed that out of the weapons seized from Naxalites, 92 per cent were looted from the police. He said that the Naxalites tried to create a vacuum of the State, governance, the Constitution, and security by destroying systems and burning down police stations. He condemned the practice of “People’s Courts” where Naxalites themselves act as judges, deliver verdicts, and hang people labeled as “enemy informers.”
Shah reiterated the government’s clear policy: “Dialogue is held only with those who surrender their weapons, but those who fire bullets are answered with bullets.” He noted that he had personally gone to Bastar and made more than 50 public appeals for Naxalites to lay down their arms, promising complete rehabilitation.
Criticizing what he called “Urban Naxals,” Shah 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. “Their humanity is only for those who break the Constitution and roam around with weapons,” he said.
Shah also condemned the 2011 Supreme Court judgment in the Salwa Judum case by Justice Sudarshan Reddy, which ordered the surrender of weapons from tribal youth trained to fight Naxalites. He noted that the same Justice Sudarshan Reddy later became the opposition’s candidate for Vice President. “If a person, while acting as a judge, uses his personal ideology, 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,” Shah said.
Highlighting the development work in Naxalism-affected areas since 2014, Shah said that approval has been given for constructing 17,589 kilometres of roads, out of which 12,000 kilometres have already been built. Nearly 5,000 mobile towers have been installed at a cost of ₹6,000 crore, with another 8,000 4G towers to be installed. In the last 12 years, 1,804 bank branches, 1,321 ATMs, 37,850 Banking Correspondents, and 6,025 post offices have been opened. Two hundred fifty-nine Eklavya Model Residential Schools, 46 ITIs, and 49 Skill Development Centres have been established.
Shah concluded that since 2014, a clear policy and strong political will have been attached to this work, with alignment between the Centre and states, enhanced coordination between CAPF and state police, and an all-agency approach striking at weapons, funding, and support systems. “The biggest reason for the defeat of Naxalism is that the state has now reached every village and panchayats have been formed there,” he said.
