PM Modi says Maoist insurgency nearly eradicated, vows complete freedom.
PM Modi addresses the decline of Maoist violence in India, signaling the end of the insurgency and a safer future for the country's youth (Photo: Pinterest)
NEW DELHI: For the first time, Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Friday spoke at length about what he called "Maoist terrorism," asserting that his government has nearly eradicated the decades-old insurgency that once spanned over a hundred districts across India. Addressing an event in Delhi, Modi said the issue was not merely about national security but also about "the future of India's youth".
He accused the previous Congress governments of shielding "urban Naxals" who, he claimed, had built an ecosystem that censored discussion of Maoist violence.
"During the Congress government, an entire ecosystem of urban Naxals had taken root—people so deeply entrenched in institutions that they ensured news of Maoist terror rarely reached the public," he said, alleging that such groups "controlled narratives and suppressed the truth".
Referring to victims of Maoist attacks, Modi said that many had recently come to Delhi to share their experiences. "They stayed in Delhi for seven days, pleading that their pain be heard by the people of India. But those who handle Maoist terror made sure even their cries did not reach the nation," he said.
Framing Naxalism as a grave injustice against India's youth, the Prime Minister said he had long felt "restlessness" about the lack of attention to the issue and was speaking "from the heart on it for the first time". He said that when his government came to power in 2014, 125 districts were affected by Maoist violence, but today the number had fallen to 11, and that even among these, only three remained "heavily affected". "In just the past 75 hours, 303 Maoists have surrendered," he said. "Some carried rewards of Rs 1 crore or Rs 15 lakh. They are now embracing the Constitution and returning to the mainstream".
Modi credited the government's "sensitive and development-oriented" approach for the decline in violence and reintegration of former insurgents. He cited Bastar in Chhattisgarh once known as the heart of the Maoist movement—as an example of change, noting that tribal youth there now organize the "Bastar Olympics," with thousands participating in sports. "This year, Diwali will shine differently in areas freed from Maoist terror," Modi said. "Many will see the festival of lights for the first time in 50 or 55 years". Declaring that "Maoist terrorism is a crime against the nation's youth," the Prime Minister concluded his speech with a vow: "That day is not far when India will be completely free from Naxalism, from Maoist terror. And that is Modi's guarantee".
With the near-eradication of Maoist violence, India appears to be witnessing the closing chapter of one of its longest-running internal security challenges. Observers have described it as a historic moment , marking the end of almost six decades of Naxalism once spread across a vast "Red Corridor" from Andhra Pradesh to Bihar now confined to a few pockets.
If current trends continue, the Union government would have effectively dismantled two of India's most enduring armed insurgencies terrorism in Jammu and Kashmir and Maoist extremism across central and eastern India within a decade of each other.
