Armed Naxalism is ending in forests but ideological Naxals are a new challenge, says Modi in Bastar

Prime Minister Narendra Modi said armed Naxalism in the country's forests is nearing its end, but a new challenge of ideological Naxalism has emerged. He alleged that ideological Naxals have infiltrated many political parties and various organisations. According to Modi, these people are still working to incite citizens against the country's Constitution and democracy.

Modi was speaking to security force personnel in Bastar, Chhattisgarh. On the occasion, he spoke about the fight against Naxalism, the sacrifice of the jawans and the development work done in Naxal-affected areas. He said it is necessary to identify and track down such ideological Naxals and to keep the country safe.

Modi said the fight against Naxalism and Maoist terrorism was not easy. According to him, at one time more than 230 districts in about 20 states were affected by Naxalism. A large part of the country, including Bihar, Maharashtra, Odisha, Uttar Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh and Chhattisgarh, was in the grip of Left-wing extremism.

The Prime Minister said the lives of crores of people in thousands of villages had been affected. In many areas, life came to a halt at dusk. People's right to vote was also affected by fear of the Naxals. Modi said there were as many as two thousand Naxal attacks in a year.

Modi referred to the Naxal violence in Dantewada in 2010. He said the land of the area had turned red with the blood of brave jawans and innocent civilians. According to him, 76 CRPF personnel were killed in encounters with Naxals that year, and in another incident in the same district, 44 innocent civilians were murdered.

He said this was not an isolated incident. Such incidents were happening almost daily in different parts of the country. Modi also said that in Chhattisgarh alone, more than a thousand security personnel had to give up their lives.

Citing figures from 2004 to 2013, Modi said that every year the number of jawans killed in Naxal attacks was higher than the number of Naxals killed. He said the leaders of Naxal organisations celebrated this situation as their victory.

According to Modi, the people of the country gave him the opportunity to serve in 2014, after which firm political will was shown against Naxalism. He said the situation was changed through strong will and a well-thought-out strategy.

The Prime Minister claimed that in the past one year, for the first time in 47 years, no CRPF jawan was killed on duty. He called it a victory for the country's right policies and strong political will.

Modi said that along with the campaign against Naxalism, the government also laid emphasis on development of the affected areas. More than 1,500 km of roads were built and more than 9,500 mobile towers installed in these areas. About 200 Eklavya schools were started for the education of tribal students. Around 50 ITIs and 50 skill development centres were opened to give young people employment opportunities. The Prime Minister also said that thousands of post offices, bank branches and ATMs were started.

The Pradhan Mantri JANMAN Yojana was launched for extremely backward tribal areas. According to Modi, the scheme brought basic facilities such as water, electricity and roads to remote villages.

Citing a recent World Bank report, Modi claimed that 50 crore people in India have come out of extreme poverty in the past 12 years. He said the country has achieved great success in the fight against poverty, along with the fight against Naxalism and separatism.

Modi said Naxals who surrender have been given a chance to return to the mainstream, and schemes have been drawn up for their rehabilitation. He said that when the government works in the spirit of Nation First, the country's peace and security grow stronger, and the participation of the poor and deprived sections in development also increases.