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The Prime Minister stressed that this development was the result of his government’s years of strategic intervention and social outreach.
“Today the country is seeing the results of these efforts,” he said while addressing the audience, which reportedly also included Sri Lankan PM Harini Amarasuriya and former prime ministers Tony Abbott (Australia) and Rishi Sunak (UK).
Chhattisgarh, especially the Bastar region, has long been a hotbed of Maoist influence and violence.
Recalling the violent legacy of Maoist insurgency, PM Modi said, “In the last 50-55 years, Maoist terrorists killed thousands of people. These Naxalites will not allow schools or hospitals to be built… They will not allow doctors to enter clinics… They will bomb institutions.”
He said Maoist terrorism is “an injustice to young people”, robbing generations of access to basic services and opportunities.
The Prime Minister also referred to the recent visit of survivors of Maoist violence to Delhi.
“Someone lost his leg, someone his hand, someone his eye. They stayed in Delhi for seven days, with folded hands begging to tell their story… They held a press conference, but none of you saw or heard it.”
From guns to sports: Bastar’s turning point
A major symbolic victory was achieved earlier this week when over 150 Maoists, including Central Committee member Rupesh alias Satish Kofa, surrendered in Bastar.
Modi said, “Earlier the headlines used to be about vehicles being blown up and security personnel being killed in Bastar. Today the youth there are organizing ‘Bastar Olympics’. This is a big change.”
One of the most shocking figures cited was that the number of Naxal-affected districts has declined from 125 a decade ago to just 11 today.
“Now, 303 Naxalites have surrendered. These were not ordinary people… they had bounties on their heads and huge cache of weapons were recovered from them,” the PM said.
Targeting the “urban Naxal” narrative
PM Modi accused previous governments—especially the Congress—of turning a blind eye to Maoist violence, saying, “During the Congress rule, the ecosystem of ‘urban Naxal’ was so dominant that no incident of Maoist terrorism could reach the people… A huge censorship mechanism was at work.”
Accusing them of protecting ideological allies under the guise of education and activism, he said, “Those who flourished under Congress rule… worked to cover up Maoist terror.”
Concluding his address on a hopeful note, the Prime Minister presented a picture of change and peace and said, “This Diwali will be different in the areas freed from Maoist terror. Mothers will see the festival of lights after 25 or 50 years… The day is not far when the country will be completely free from Naxalism, from Maoist terror. And this, too, is Modi’s guarantee.”