Amit Shah says talks on with only active top Maoist, attacks Congress for Red ties | India News
Amit Shah Monday said talks are underway with the only active member of the CPI (Maoist) central committee, while others have either surrendered or been killed.Although he did not mention any names, the reference seems to be to Mihir Besra, who is active in the Jharkhand region and whose surrender would bring the Center to the brink of fulfilling its promise to rid itself of Maoism. Two days before the deadline set by the Center to eradicate Naxals, Shah said that India has become “Naxal-free” and called it the crowning achievement of the Modi government, even as he accused the Congress of sympathizing with Naxal supporters.
Shah attacks Congress over red bandh, signals UPA downfall turning point
Shah also said that it is wrong to argue that Naxalism is at the root of the lack of justice for tribals and development in tribal areas. He said Naxalites are responsible for the lack of development.Responding to a debate in the Lok Sabha on “efforts to rid the country of left-wing extremism”, Shah praised the state’s police force and the CRPF’s CoBRA (Commando Battalion for Resolute Action) for bravely tackling the Naxal challenge. However, he equally emphasized the political will of the Modi government, suggesting that the change in the UPA government was a turning point.Shah alleged that the LS’s opposition leader, Rahul Gandhi, had shared public space with Naxalites and their sympathizers on several occasions and that Naxal groups had joined his Bharat Joro Yatra. He said that during a protest at India Gate, slogans were raised in favor of Naxalite leader Hidma, who was killed by the police, and Rahul Gandhi posted the video on social media.Shah claimed that members of Sonia Gandhi’s National Advisory Council under the UPA government were linked to Naxalites and accused the then Congress minister Jairam Ramesh of writing to the state for the release of Mahest Raut, the Prime Minister’s Rural Development Assistant, who was arrested for Naxal links.He also referred to the inclusion of Vinayak Sen in the Planning Commission under the UPA – known as a “pro-Naxalite” – and claimed that the Congress itself had gone Naxal after siding with the Maoists. Shah said the success against the Naxalites in Chhattisgarh was due to only one factor – the defeat of the Bhupesh Baghel-led Congress government in the state.The home minister said the Greyhounds, a special anti-Naxalite unit in Congress-ruled Telangana, had refused to join central forces engaged in anti-Naxalite operations in the hills, though they had agreed to come to the plains and cooperate in arresting the Ultras. Shah said that when 76 police personnel were killed by Naxalites during the UPA, JNU students celebrated by dancing on the map of India.Referring to “intellectuals” and “urban Naxalites”, he said that 2,000 articles have been written in favor of talks with Naxalites, but no articles have been written about Maoist victims. “I don’t accept this double standard of humanity,” he said.Recalling the Salwa Judum, which he noted was started by Congress leader Mahendra Karma, Shah said that Justice Sudarshan Reddy had given a judgment that dissolved the Salwa Judum and the opposition made Reddy its vice-presidential candidate in 2025. He accused Reddy of “ideological bias” and condemned the High Court verdict. He called Naxalism an ideological armed struggle against democracy, whose motto was “power flows from the barrel of a gun”.Left parties in India were born out of the communist revolutions in Russia and China, Shah said, adding that leftists whose roots are outside India — inspired by being a foreigner, Mao — could not think of Indian concerns. Shah said the Modi government is following a “bullet for bullet” policy with those who do not surrender and the benefits of development are being taken home in Bastar.He said that 20,000 youths have been killed and many disabled due to Naxalism, and former Prime Minister Manmohan Singh called it the biggest internal security problem.Shah has promised to eradicate Naxalism besides addressing “pending issues” such as removal of Article 370, construction of Ram temple, GST and CAA and reservation of women.He said if lack of development was the cause of Maoism, then many more places would have been affected by Naxalism. He said the “government’s reach was limited” in the “Red Corridor” in the early years of independence, and the Naxalites misled the gullible tribals.He said 706 Naxalites were killed, 2,218 arrested and 4,839 surrendered.
The Prime Minister praised Shah’s reply to the red controversy
Prime Minister Narendra Modi hailed Home Minister Amit Shah’s reply to the discussion on Left-Wing Extremism (LWE) as outstanding, saying he highlighted important facts, historical context and the government’s efforts to eradicate the menace over the last decade. Over the decades, Maoist ideology has adversely affected the development of various regions.
