New Delhi, Oct 7 (Bureau) Union Home Minister Amit Shah on Monday said that Left-Wing Naxalism is the biggest hurdle in the development of tribal areas and the enemy of the entire humanity. Chairing a review meeting with Chief Ministers of Left-Wing Extremism affected states at Vigyan Bhawan here, Shah said, “If the biggest violation of human rights is due to any one activity, then it is Naxalism.” Stating that Naxalism was fighting its last battle, Shah said, “I want to say with great confidence that by March 2026, with the cooperation of all the concerned states, India will be free from this decades-old menace of Naxalism.”
He said that the graph of Naxalite incidents has decreased between 2014 and 2024 and top 14 Naxal leaders have been eliminated and the benefits of government welfare schemes were reaching the ground. The meeting was attended by Chief Ministers of Andhra Pradesh, Bihar, Chhattisgarh, Jharkhand, Telangana, Odisha, Maharashtra and Madhya Pradesh. He said, “With the joint efforts of all the states, Naxalites are now leaving their violent ideology and joining development and starting a new era”. He said that Prime Minister Narendra Modi started the ‘Dharti Aaba Janjatiya Gram Utkarsh Abhiyan’ on October 2 from Jharkhand. “This campaign is going to be a milestone in providing facilities to more than 15,000 villages and a population of about 1.5 crore in the LWE affected areas and ensuring 100 percent access to all amenities in rural areas,” the Home Minister said.
He said that the success of Chhattisgarh has brought inspiration of enthusiasm for all. “Not only an all out operations were carried out in the state, but the BJP government of Chhattisgarh also launched a new development campaign in all the LWE affected districts,” Shah said. The violence-affected villages have started getting government benefit schemes and due to which schools, cheap medicine shops, food grain shops and health facilities have reached the villages. “There were many villages that voted in the general elections after 30 years,” the Home Minister said. Urging the youth who have taken up weapons to leave the path of violence and join the mainstream, Shah said, “The state governments have prepared plans for your rehabilitation, I urge you all to take up the advantage of it and contribute to the development of the country.” Shah had last chaired the review meeting with the Chief Ministers of LWE affected states on 6th October, 2023. During that meeting, he had given comprehensive directions with regard to elimination of LWE.