Jagdalpur/Raipur: Prime Minister Narendra Modi Sunday said that the country’s prolonged battle against Maoist terror and Naxalism had been extremely challenging, recalling how nearly 230 districts across around 20 states were once affected by Left-Wing Extremism (LWE).
Addressing security personnel in Chhattisgarh’s Bastar on the occasion of Diwali, PM Modi said that there was a time when the situation in Naxal-affected areas had become so severe that people were unable to step out of their homes after sunset.
“The battle against Maoist terror and Naxalism was not an easy one. There was a time when nearly 230 districts across around 20 states were affected by Naxalism. Life would come to a standstill after sunset, and stepping out of homes became nearly impossible. People were stripped of their voting rights. Bihar, Maharashtra, Odisha, Uttar Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh, and Chhattisgarh — a large part of the country was in the grip of Left-Wing Extremism,” the Prime Minister said.
He further highlighted the scale of violence during that period, stating that the country witnessed as many as 2,000 Maoist attacks in a single year.
Recalling some of the deadliest incidents of Maoist violence in 2010, PM Modi referred to the Dantewada attacks in which a large number of security personnel and civilians lost their lives. He said that 76 CRPF personnel were martyred during an encounter with Naxalites in the neighbouring Dantewada region. In another attack in the district during the same year, 44 innocent civilians were killed.
“This land was soaked in the blood of our bravehearts. However, not a single tear fell from the eyes of any of the high-born residents of the palaces,” he said, criticising the then leadership over its response to the violence.
The Prime Minister said that such deadly attacks were not isolated incidents, as violence continued to occur almost every day in different parts of the country and remained a persistent challenge for several decades.
“During this period, over 1,000 security personnel were martyred in Chhattisgarh alone. If one looks at the figures from 2004 to 2013, they will find that every year, the number of our brave jawans martyred was higher than the number of Naxalites killed. The Naxal leaders used to celebrate this,” he said.
PM Modi also criticised the approach of previous governments towards tackling Left-Wing Extremism, alleging that Naxalism had been treated as a problem that could not be resolved, leaving affected communities and security personnel to suffer its consequences.
“Unfortunately, the governments of that time treated Naxalism as an incurable disease and left it unaddressed. My tribal families were left to their fate, and it was accepted that this state of affairs would simply continue — bullets will be fired, soldiers will die, and civilians will be beaten. No nation can function with an approach that simply accepts that things will continue this way in the face of its enemies,” he added.
Emphasising the need for strong political determination and a carefully planned strategy to eliminate threats to national security, the Prime Minister said that a decisive change in the country’s approach began after 2014.
“For the nation to move forward, its enemies must be crushed — with unwavering resolve and a well-devised strategy. The political will that was lacking in our nation to do this was strengthened in 2014,” PM Modi said.
“You gave this ‘Pradhan Sevak’ an opportunity to serve ‘Maa Bharati’, and everyone witnessed how the situation began to change after 2014,” he added.
