Union Home Minister Amit Shah on March 30, while replying to the discussion in the Lok Sabha on efforts to eliminate Left-Wing Extremism (LWE), asserted that the core driver of Naxalism lies in ideology rather than lack of development.
Amit Shah said that “the root cause of Naxalism is not the demand for development, but an ideology.” He further stated that “the root cause of Naxalism is not lack of development but Left-wing ideology, which was accepted by the leader of then ruling party to win the Presidential election in 1969.”
He said that “a complete Red Corridor had been created across 12 states, including Chhattisgarh, Telangana, Andhra Pradesh, Odisha, Maharashtra, Madhya Pradesh, Jharkhand, Bihar, Bengal, Kerala, parts of Karnataka, and 3 districts of Uttar Pradesh.”
He added that “in these areas, 12 crore people lived in poverty for years and 20,000 youths lost their lives, who is responsible for this.”
Referring to past assessments, Shah said that former Prime Minister Manmohan Singh “had openly admitted before the entire country that the biggest internal security challenge facing the nation, compared to Kashmir and the Northeast, was the armed Maoists.”
नक्सलवाद का मूल कारण विकास की कमी नहीं, बल्कि वामपंथी विचारधारा है, जिसे 1969 में राष्ट्रपति चुनाव जीतने के लिए इंदिरा गाँधी ने स्वीकार कर लिया था। pic.twitter.com/irSnkbf7HS
— Amit Shah (@AmitShah) March 30, 2026
Highlighting developments after 2014 under Narendra Modi, Shah said that “several long-standing problems have been resolved,” including the removal of Article 370 and 35A, construction of a Ram temple at Ram Janmabhoomi, implementation of GST, enactment of the Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA), and 33% reservation for women in legislative bodies.
He said that “all the major tasks that the people of this country had been aspiring for since the time of independence have been accomplished in the 12 years of Narendra Modi’s government,” adding that “now, the creation of a Naxalism-free India will also happen under the rule of Narendra Modi.”
The Home Minister stated that “the past 12 years have proved to be very auspicious for the country,” noting efforts “to free the country from poverty, to bring a new education system for the youth, to ensure internal and external security, and to set aside policies not connected with the country’s core values.” He added that “if one looks at the most historic and important decisions, then without any hesitation, a Naxalism-free India would rank at the top.”
Shah credited the forces and local communities, stating that “the credit for the major development of a Naxalism-free India, which is about to take shape in the country, goes entirely to our Central Armed Police Forces, especially the jawans of CoBRA and CRPF, the state police — particularly the jawans of Chhattisgarh State Police and DRG — and the local tribals.” He added that “the people have also made a significant contribution to the elimination of Left-Wing Extremism.”
