New Delhi: Union Home Minister Amit Shah on Monday criticised the Congress over alleged governance failures in Chhattisgarh’s Bastar region, saying tribal communities were pushed towards Maoist ideology due to a lack of state outreach.
Speaking in the Lok Sabha, Shah said the roots of Naxalism go back several decades, and the problem deepened during earlier regimes. Referring to former Prime Minister Indira Gandhi, he said early warning signs were not addressed, which allowed the movement to expand over time.
“The root cause of Naxalism is not the demand for development. It is an ideology that Indira Gandhi embraced in 1970 to win the presidential election. Naxalism spread because of this Leftist ideology,” the minister said in a post on X.
He said the core of Naxalism was ideological rather than developmental and linked its spread to political decisions taken in the past.
Highlighting the scale of the insurgency, Shah said nearly a dozen states, including Chhattisgarh, Jharkhand, Odisha, and Maharashtra, were once affected, forming the so-called “Red Corridor”.
“Twelve states- Chhattisgarh, Telangana, Andhra Pradesh, Odisha, Maharashtra, Madhya Pradesh, Jharkhand, Bihar, Bengal, Kerala, parts of Karnataka, and three districts of Uttar Pradesh were affected. A complete ‘Red Corridor’ was formed, and the rule of law ended there. Twelve crore people lived in poverty for years, and no one showed any concern. Thousands of young lives were lost. Many were left permanently disabled or crippled for the rest of their lives. Who is responsible for this?” Shah said in the House.
He further said the rule of law had weakened in these areas, with widespread poverty and significant loss of young lives during the peak of the insurgency. He added that around 20,000 youths lost their lives over the years due to the conflict.
Shah also accused the Congress of neglecting development in affected regions. He said basic facilities such as housing, clean water, schools, mobile connectivity, and banking services did not reach these areas for decades. He added that development gained pace after 2014 under the leadership of Narendra Modi.
The home minister added that the intensity of the insurgency was reflected in the sourcing of weapons by Naxal groups. He said nearly 92% of the arms used by them were looted from police forces.
He said the situation has improved in recent years due to stronger governance, development initiatives, and security operations, which have reduced the influence of Naxal groups in affected regions.
