NEW DELHI: Union Home Minister Amit Shah on Sunday rejected the ceasefire offer made by Maoists, reiterating the government’s commitment to eliminate violent Naxalites by the end of March next year.
He said extremists are welcome to surrender and assured that security forces would not fire a single bullet at those who lay down arms.
“Recently, to spread confusion, a letter was written stating that what has happened so far has been a mistake, that a ceasefire should be declared, and that we (Naxals) want to surrender. I want to say there will be no ceasefire. If you want to surrender, there is no need for a ceasefire. Lay down your arms, not a single bullet will be fired,” Shah said, addressing the valedictory session of a seminar on ‘Naxal Mukt Bharat’.
The Home minister added that a red carpet welcome and “lucrative” rehabilitation policy awaits those who wish to surrender.
Meanwhile, Shah criticised Left parties for extending ideological support to Left Wing Extremism (LWE), dismissing claims that Maoist violence was due to lack of development. “It was due to the red terror that development could not reach many parts of the country for several decades,” he said.
Providing historical context, Shah said LWE began in India in the 1960s in West Bengal, and violence subsided soon after Left parties assumed power in the state.
The Home minister made the remarks in response to the CPI (Maoists) ceasefire offer, which followed intensified operations by security forces, including Operation Black Forest along the Chhattisgarh-Telangana border, in which several top Naxals were eliminated.
“There are many who believe that merely stopping Naxal killings is enough to eradicate Naxalism from India. But this is not true, as Naxalism developed because its ideology was nurtured by elements within society,” he said.
“Why did the Naxal problem arise, grow and develop in the country? Who provided them with ideological support? Until Indian society understands this – the people who provided ideological, legal and financial support – the fight against Naxalism will not end,” Shah added. “We must identify and understand those who continue to nurture the Naxal ideology.”
Shah reiterated confidence that violent Naxalism will be eradicated by March 31, 2026, and emphasised that national security remains the government’s top priority under Prime Minister Narendra Modi. “National security and the country’s safety are the primary concerns of our discussion,” he said.
He also highlighted three regions central to government security efforts since 2014: Jammu and Kashmir, the Northeast, and the Vampanthi Corridor.
Shah concluded by noting the growing trust of citizens in democratic processes, citing the 2024 general elections as having recorded the highest voter turnout since independence.