On the first day of a two-day visit to Chhattisgarh, Union Home Minister Amit Shah on Sunday reiterated the goal he has set of eradicating Left-wing extremism by March 2026, and said that while the rainy season has historically provided some rest for the Maoists, that would not be the case this time.
In Raipur, he chaired a meeting on the ongoing anti-Maoist operations on Sunday. The meeting was attended by top police officers from Maoist-affected states like Chhattisgarh, Andhra Pradesh, Telangana, Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra, Jharkhand, and Odisha.
“I want to say this to the people of Chhattisgarh before I go… Every year during the rainy season, Naxals used to get some rest. But this time, we will not allow them to sleep even during the rains, and will move forward to achieve our March 2026 goal.”
He also made an appeal to those who have joined the Maoists. “I again appeal to all youngsters who got misled and joined the Naxal movement to surrender under the attractive surrender policy. Drop the weapons and join the path of Chhattisgarh’s development. You will never get a better opportunity than this to surrender. There is no need for discussion. Have faith in the government, drop the weapons and join the mainstream. Many people have dropped their weapons, and I welcome them and assure you that we will not only keep our promise, but we will try to provide even more support,” he said.
The Union minister said the greatest achievement of Chhattisgarh Chief Minister Vishnu Deo Sai’s government in the past one and a half years is that they accelerated the anti-Maoist campaign and moved forward in the direction of freeing the state from LWE.
Shah also laid the foundation stone for the National Forensic Sciences University (NFSU) and Central Forensic Science Laboratory (CFSL) campus in Raipur, and virtually inaugurated the temporary campus of NFSU, Raipur. Talking about the modernisation of the criminal justice system with these initiatives, Shah said, “These three initiatives will, in the coming days, serve as a foundation not only for Chhattisgarh but for the entire criminal justice system of central India.”
Talking about investments attracted by Chhattisgarh, Shah said MoUs for Rs 5 lakh crore have already been signed. Encouraging the youth of Chhattisgarh to take up entrepreneurship, Shah said, “I want to clearly say that Chhattisgarh’s industrial revolution and investment will only come when the youth here show courage in taking up business.”
He encouraged the creation of MSMEs and start-ups.
