Naxals our own, should give up arms, be part of growth: Shah

Home Minister Amit Shah today appealed to the Naxalites to lay down arms and join the mainstream and said nobody felt happy when a Naxalite was killed.

Offering an olive branch to the Maoists, Shah said, “I urge Naxalite brothers to lay down arms and join the mainstream. You are our own people. No one feels happy when a Naxalite is killed. Just surrender and join the mainstream…. You cannot stop the development of your tribal brothers and sisters by taking up arms.”

Speaking at the closing ceremony of the Chhattisgarh Government’s ‘Bastar Pandum’ festival in Dantewada, Shah asserted that the Centre was committed to eliminating the Naxal menace by March 2026. He said 521 Naxalites had surrendered so far this year, and that the count stood at 881 in 2024. The minister also said the Chhattisgarh Government had announced a development grant of Rs 1 crore for any village earning the “Naxal-free” tag by convincing its fugitive Naxalites to surrender. He said those who chose to continue on the path of violence would be dealt with sternly.

Shah said development could be ensured only if all children went to school, the health of mothers was taken care of, tribals and youth didn’t suffer from malnutrition, every village had a dispensary and there was a hospital in each tehsil. “All this will be possible only if the people of Bastar decide to make every village Naxal-free,” he said.

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