Home Minister Amit Shah said that left-wing extremism restricted the development in the affected areas, but now the development is reaching these regions under the Narendra Modi government. Mr Shah stressed that anyone who takes up arms will be dealt with strictly, and a bullet is answered with a bullet. He was replying to the discussion in the Lok Sabha under Rule 193 on efforts to free the country from Left-Wing Extremism.
The Home Minister said the Red Corridor was created by the Naxalites in 12 States, and the rule of law ended in the affected areas. He said 20,000 people lost their lives in left-wing violence and 12 crore people lived in poverty for years without any development.
Highlighting the steps taken by the Modi government to free the country from left-wing extremism after 2014, Mr Shah said the security apparatus has been strengthened with the creation of 596 fortified police stations. He said Naxalite-affected districts, which were 126 in 2014, have now been reduced to two districts. He said that in the last six years, 406 Central Armed Police Force units have been established, and 400 bulletproof vehicles have been provided to security forces. He said that 706 Naxalites were neutralised in encounters from 2024 to March 2026. He said that two thousand 218 Naxalites were detained, and four thousand 839 Naxalites surrendered. He said Naxalism has nearly ended in Chhattisgarh’s Bastar region. He lauded the efforts of paramilitary and state police forces and people associated with the drive to end the left-wing extremism in the country. He also paid tributes to those youths and paramilitary forces who laid down their lives in dealing with the menace of Naxalism.
Mr Shah also took a dig at the Congress government, saying that former Prime Minister Manmohan Singh had acknowledged that Naxalism is a bigger challenge before the nation, but Congress did nothing about it. He said Naxal violence in the country began in the 1970s in Naxalbari. He said that through the People’s War Group in the 1980s, it spread in the states of Maharashtra, Madhya Pradesh, and Odisha. He said the CPI (Maoist) was formed in 2004, and after that, Naxal violence took a serious turn. He said, throughout this entire period, the Congress party was in power.
Earlier, initiating the debate, Shiv Sena MP Shrikant Shinde hailed the efforts of Narendra Modi’s government, paramilitary and police forces to make the country free from Naxalism. He also paid tributes to all those security personnel who laid down their lives while fighting against Left-wing extremism. Mr Shinde hit out at the Congress, saying that when the party was in power, it failed to provide necessary facilities to tribals and backward communities, which forced them to take up arms. He said there was a time when tribals faced exploitation and were pushed into the fire of Naxalism, but today, the situation has changed. He said that now a tribal woman holds the highest constitutional post in the country as President. He said the Modi government has regained the trust of tribals, the poor, and the marginalised. Mr Shinde said that with the government’s consistent effort, the Red Corridor is now being transformed into a growth corridor. He said the left-wing extremism, which had spread to 200 districts of the country, has now been reduced to just three districts.
Participating in the discussion, Saptagiri Sankar Ulaka of the Congress said that several efforts were also taken during the UPA government to eliminate Naxalism. He said that police forces were modernised, and in 2008, the CoBRA unit was established. He also said that under the UPA government, roads and schools were constructed in Naxal-affected areas. Sambit Patra of the BJP alleged that the UPA government worked to protect Naxalites. He said that under the Modi government, the Red Corridor has been transformed into a Growth Corridor. He said that during the UPA rule in April 2010, the highest number, 75 CRPF personnel, were martyred in a single day.
Dr Byreddy Shabari of TDP alleged that the maximum number of Naxal attacks took place between 2004 and 2014 during the UPA rule. She alleged that despite tackling the menace of Naxalism, the UPA government ignited the left-wing extremist movement. She said that Naxalism, which started from one village, had later spread to 182 districts across ten states due to the lacklustre policy of the Congress government. After concluding today’s business, the Lok Sabha was adjourned for the day to meet again on Wednesday.
