BJP government in Chhattisgarh has demonstrated change in approach, number of active Naxals has come down by over 2600: Amit Shah

New Delhi [India], March 21 : Emphasising the committment of the BJP-led alliance to end the problem of Naxalism, Union Home Minister Amit Shah said on Friday that 2,619 Naxalites were arrested, surrendered, or killed in the past over a year due to approach of BJP government which came to power in Chhattisgarh in December 2023.
Replying to the debate in Rajya Sabha on the working of his ministry, he said Naxalism will be eliminated from the country by March 21, 2026.
"Let me tell you that by March 21, 2026, Naxalism will be completely eradicated from our country. This is the result of the hard work of the Modi government over the past 10 years," he said.
Amit Shah said BJP government in Chhattisgarh was tackling the problem of Naxalism with a different approach compared to the Congress and the number of active Naxals went down by 2619.
"What happens when there is a government which considers Naxalism a political issue and what happens when a government which works for security as well as development comes to power...When BJP came to power in Chhattisgarh in December 2023, after that, 380 Naxals were killed in just a year while 30 Naxals killed yesterday have not been added to this. In these operations, 26 security personnel died," he said.
"It was the same Chhattisgarh, the same police, BSF, and Indian government, with only Congress in power. But in December 2023, when BJP came to power, within a year, 2,619 Naxalites were either arrested, surrendered, or killed. This shows you what change in approach does," he added.
The minister congratulated security force personnel and said they have ventured into dense forests to eliminate the problem without concerns for water, food, or sleep.
Amit Shah talked of the steps taken by the government to provide accurate intelligence to security forces dealing with the problem of Naxalism.
"When Narendra Modi Government was elected to power in 2014, we received several legacy issues from prior to 2014. The security and development of this country were always challenged due to three main issues. These three issues caused obstruction to the peace of the country, raised questions on the security of the country and obstructed the development pace of the country for almost four decades; they also made the country's entire system even laughable many a time," he said.
"These three issues were terrorism in J-K, Leftist insurgency which dreamt of Tirupati to Pashupatinath and the Northeast insurgency. If you club all these three issues together, around 92,000 citizens of this country were killed in four decades. For the elimination of these three issues, never was a well-planned effort made. PM Narendra Modi made those efforts after coming to power," he added.
Amit Shah also highlighted significant progress in resolving insurgency issues in Northeast India.
"We are also on the verge of ending the problems in the Northeast. There too, there has been a 70 per cent reduction in violent incidents, a 72 per cent reduction in casualties of security forces and an 85 per cent reduction in the number of civilian casualties," Shah said.
"After our government came to power, we held talks with all armed groups. We have signed 12 important peace agreements since 2019. A total of 10,900 youths in the Northeast have surrendered their weapons and joined the mainstream. Thousands of youths have embarked on path of development," he added.
Amit Shah said 21 Members presented their views during the working of his ministry.
"In a way, efforts were made to cover the dimensions of several works of MHA. First of all, I express my gratitude to thousands of State Police and central paramilitary force jawans who made the supreme sacrifice to strengthen the country's internal security as well as borders," he said.
Amit Shah said several crime incidents have multi-state dimensions.
"In a way, the Home Ministry works under very difficult situation. The Constitution has given the responsibility of Law and Order to states. Border security and internal security come under MHA. This is a correct decision. And there is no need to make any changes to this. But when Law and Order is taken care of by states, after 76 years, there is now a situation when several kinds of crime do not remain limited to state borders, they are both inter-state as well as multi-state -- like narcotics, cybercrime, organised crime gangs, hawala," he said.
"All these crimes do not take place just within a state. Several crimes are done in the country even from outside the country. So, keeping all this in view it becomes essential to make changes in MHA. I say this with pride that in 10 years, PM Narendra Modi made long overdue changes to the MHA at once to ensure national security," he added.
Amit Shah talked of the changes in the situation in Jammu and Kashmir after abrogation of Article 370.
"After the removal of Article 370, the involvement of Indian youth with terrorists has almost disappeared. Ten years ago, terrorist glorification was common, and funeral processions would take place. But now, when terrorists are killed, they are buried on the spot. Relatives of terrorists who once enjoyed government perks have been ruthlessly removed from government posts to send a strong message," he said.
"I want to thank our Constitution makers for making Article 370 temporary and providing a solution for its removal within the same article. However, vote bank politics kept it safeguarded. But on August 5, 2019, PM Modi took the historic step of removing it, marking the beginning of a new era of Kashmir's integration with the rest of India," he said.
Amit Shah said the government has started the Vibrant Village Programme.
"Along the border, people used to live in extreme conditions, leading to an exodus. If these border villages are abandoned, the country cannot be protected. Earlier these villages used to call last villages. The Modi Government recognised them as 'First Villages.' This was not just a conceptual change but within 10 years, essential services were prioritised for these areas," he said.