JAGDALPUR (Chhattisgarh), May 18: Union Home Minister Amit Shah on Monday asserted that India is now “by and large” free from three main internal security problems of Naxalism, terrorism in Jammu and Kashmir and insurgency in the Northeast.
Speaking in the former Maoist stronghold of Jagdalpur, Bastar, Shah said the Centre and the state government are working with full commitment to ensure lasting peace and progress in the region and it will emerge as the most developed tribal area of the country within the next five years.
Shah, who is on a three-day tour of Chhattisgarh, his first after the country was declared free from Maoist violence in March, urged the people of Bastar to “accept” about 3,000 surrendered Naxals and help in their assimilation into the national mainstream.
The minister will chair the 26th central zonal council meeting in Jagdalpur, the headquarters of Bastar district, on Tuesday that will see the participation of four chief ministers of Chhattisgarh, Madhya Pradesh, Uttar Pradesh and Uttarakhand.
“It is a big day for the country today as India is Naxal-free. This was a dream that has been achieved after numerous security personnel sacrificed their lives in operations,” Shah said at an event held at the campus of the Bastar Academy of Dance, Art and Literature (BADAL).
The minister regretted that the Left Wing Extremism (LWE) that emerged in India in the 1970s “consumed three generations” through violence, depriving the people of their basic necessities.
“In 2014, when the Modi government took charge, there were challenges (related to internal security) in Jammu and Kashmir, the Northeastern states and Left Wing Extremism.
“I can now say that, by and large, the country is free from these three problems,” he said He was officiating as the chief guest at the event, where families of locals killed by Naxals, jawans who displayed bravery during anti-Maoist operations, and tribal community leaders spoke to him about their experiences during the Naxal years.
Shah also paid tributes at Amar Vatika to more than 1,000 security personnel who laid down their lives in the fight against Naxals.
“The sacrifices of our jawans in establishing peace, security and development in Bastar region will never be forgotten,” Shah said.
“Both the Centre and the state government are working with full commitment to ensure lasting peace and development reaches the last person,” Shah said. (PTI)
