NEW DELHI: Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Monday said India is on the “verge of eradicating” Naxal-Maoist terror, with more than 100 districts freed from its grip set to celebrate Diwali with “pride and dignity” this year.
Addressing armed forces onboard INS Vikrant off the Goa coast, Modi hailed security personnel for their “valour and sacrifice”, crediting them for reducing the Maoist footprint from 125 districts a decade ago to just 11 today.
“It is due to the valour and courage of our security forces that the country has achieved another major milestone over the last few years. This milestone is about eradication of Maoist terrorism. The country is on the verge of liberation from Naxal-Maoist terror,” the prime minister said.
He said before 2014, nearly 125 districts across the country were in the grip of Maoist violence. “This has reduced due to the steps taken by the government over the past decade,” the PM said.
Of these 11 districts, only three remain under Maoist influence,” Modi said. “For the first time, people in such district are celebrating Diwali in peace. Record sales and purchases are being witnessed in these areas during the GST Bachat Utsav. In districts where Maoist terror once suppressed even the mention of the Constitution, the mantra of Swadeshi now resonates,” he said.
Modi said it was perhaps for the first time since Independence that the police forces were faced with such a big challenge> He said he believed that the scourge of the last 50 years will be defeated.
“They (police forces) have achieved 90 per cent success,” he said, asserting that fighting the war within the country required a lot of patience to ensure that no innocent life was lost. He said there were regions where Maoists did not allow building schools, roads and hospitals, blew up schools and hospitals and gunned down doctors. In the same regions, highways are being built, new businesses are taking root, and schools and hospitals are building a new future for children, Modi said. The prime minister credited the success to the penance, sacrifice and courage of the security forces.
He also saluted the brave police forces who are leading the fight against Maoist terror, saying the drive against Maoist terror was able to achieve success due to the sacrifices of a number of police personnel.
