Source : INDIA TODAY NEWS
Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Sunday said the threat of Naxalism had not ended despite the elimination of armed Maoists, alleging that ideological supporters of Naxalism had infiltrated political parties and other organisations, news agency Press Trust of India reported.
Addressing security personnel during Diwali celebrations at a Central Reserve Police Force camp in Chhattisgarh’s Bastar district, Modi said such elements were instigating people against the Constitution and democracy. “We must identify and defeat such elements and secure the country,” he said.
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Central armed police forces and Chhattisgarh Police personnel are deployed in Bastar and have played a major role in anti-Naxal operations. On March 31, the government announced that the country was free from the menace of Naxalism after several leaders and cadres were eliminated and hundreds of others surrendered.
Modi described the elimination of Maoist terror as a victory for the country’s policies and strong political will. “Amid the successes, we must remember one more thing. Naxalites have been eliminated, but the threat is not over yet. Armed Naxalites have disappeared from the forests, but ‘dimagi Naxals’ have taken control of several organisations,” he said, using the term to refer to ideological supporters of Naxalism.
“Even today, they are instigating people against the country’s Constitution and democracy. They have infiltrated several political parties and different organisations. We must identify and defeat them and secure the country,” he added.
In his address on the 80th Independence Day in August, the prime minister had also referred to “dimagi Naxals”. He said the country had succeeded in removing armed Naxalism from forests but warned that its ideological supporters were looking for opportunities to promote violence and anarchy.
During his Bastar visit, Modi said his government had taken decisions that dealt a major blow to the funding networks of Naxalites and secessionists. “Earlier governments had tied the hands of security forces in the fight on the ground. Maoist attacks took place, but security forces did not have the freedom to retaliate effectively. We gave security forces the freedom to take all necessary decisions,” he said.
The prime minister said his government had also acted to stop the support that Left-Wing Extremism received from some people within the government and the system. Its objective was to ensure that no mother lost her child, no family was devastated, no child took up arms and no young person’s future was destroyed, he said.
“We remained committed to this resolve until the goal was achieved. Without publicity or showmanship, we worked with sensitivity and broke the backbone of Maoist terrorists. We transformed the lives of people in Naxal-affected areas through a spirit of service, which led those suffering from Naxalism to stand firmly with the government and security forces,” Modi said.
Government decisions also destroyed counterfeit currency networks and disrupted the supply lines of Naxalites and separatists, Modi said. He added that the fight against Maoist terror was not easy, recalling that more than 230 districts across nearly 20 states were affected by Naxalism at one point.
“To take the country forward, its enemies must be crushed with unwavering determination and a well-planned strategy,” he said. “The lack of political will that the country had faced was addressed in 2014, when you gave this Pradhan Sevak the opportunity to serve Mother India.”
Modi also said that, for the first time in 47 years, no CRPF personnel had been killed in the line of duty over the past year, according to PTI.
Bastar, once considered the centre of Left-Wing Extremism in Chhattisgarh, has undergone a significant change following intensified anti-Naxal operations, large-scale surrenders and the expansion of development initiatives.
Earlier in the day, Modi said in a post on X that he would celebrate Diwali with security personnel in Bastar, an area he said had been freed from the grip of Naxalism after several decades. “Heading to Bastar to celebrate Diwali with our brave security forces,” he wrote.
The prime minister said Naxalism once held sway in Bastar but development was now flourishing. “I am going to salute our brave security personnel for their sacrifices, selfless service and unwavering devotion to the nation,” he added.
Modi’s address highlighted the government’s anti-Naxal operations and development efforts in affected areas while warning that ideological support for Naxalism remained a threat that needed to be addressed.
– Ends
SOURCE :- TIMES OF INDIA
