New Delhi: Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Friday said it is his guarantee that the day is not far when the nation would be rid of Maoist terror, and hit out at the previous Congress regime for nurturing “urban Naxals” and turning a blind eye to the violence unleashed by them.
Addressing the NDTV World Summit here, Modi recounted the recent success in countering Maoist terror, saying 303 Naxal operatives have surrendered in the past 75 hours and only three districts of the country now remain in the severe grip of Left Wing Extremism.
“Eleven years ago, approximately 125 districts across the country were affected by Maoist terrorism. Today, that number has been significantly reduced to just 11 districts. Of these, only three remain severely impacted by Maoist influence,” he said.
Modi said over the past decade, thousands of Naxalites have surrendered, abandoning their violent path.
“To put this into perspective, in the past 75 hours, 303 Naxalites have surrendered. Those who once carried .303 (rifles) have surrendered today. These are no ordinary Naxalites. Some had a bounty of Rs 1 crore, some
had a bounty of Rs 15 lakh, and some had a bounty of Rs 5 lakh,” he said.
The prime minister also said that these individuals were now returning to the mainstream of development and openly acknowledging that they were on the wrong path.
“They are now moving forward with faith in the Constitution of India,” Modi said.
“In the last 50-55 years, thousands were killed by Maoist terrorists. These Naxals would not allow schools or hospitals to be built... They would not let doctors enter clinics... They would bomb institutions. Maoist terrorism was an injustice to the young people,” he said.
“I used to feel agitated... This is the first time I am expressing my pain to the world,” Modi said.
The prime minister also said that when his government was voted to office, he worked with utmost sensitivity to bring these youth, who were misled, back to the mainstream of development.
“The day is not far when India will be totally free from Naxalism and Maoist violence -- this too is Modi’s guarantee,” he told the gathering that included
Sri Lankan Prime Minister Harini Amarasuriya, former UK prime minister Rishi Sunak and former Australian prime minister Tony Abbot, among others.