"A strong and ruthless strategy is required for launching the last assault against Naxals," he said.
Union Home Minister Amit Shah on Saturday set a huge target for the nation, asserting that India will be free from Left Wing Extremism (LWE) by March 2026, adding that a strong and ruthless strategy is needed for the final assault against this menace.
Shah addressed a press conference in Raipur along with Chhattisgarh Chief Minister Vishnu Deo Sai, senior central officials and police officers. He reviewed the Maoist situation in the state and the adjoining areas.
The Home Minister urged Naxals to refrain from doing violence, announcing that the Chhattisgarh government would announce a "new look" surrender policy in one or two months.
"A strong and ruthless strategy is required for launching the last assault against Naxals," he said.
Noting that Naxal violence is a challenge to the democracy, Shah said that around 17,000 lives were claimed by the menace in the country.
However, the Union Minister noted that there was a 53 per cent drop in Naxal incidents during 2014-2024 as compared to the data of 2004-2014. It is time to deal the final blow to the problem of Left Wing Extremism with a strong strategy, Shah said.
The Home Minister said that the BJP-led government had been working to fill in the security vacuum in the Naxal-hit areas, adding that the security personnel have undertaken operations along with other development works.
Other than the security forces, central agencies like the National Investigation Agency (NIA) and the Enforcement Directorate (ED) have also worked towards dismantling the funding and finances of the Maoists.
"We believe we will be able to free the country from Left Wing Extremism by March 2026," Shah said during the press conference.
Shah was also asked about the now-scrapped Article 370, which gives special status to Jammu and Kashmir, to which he said that the provision will never be restored.
Notably, the Home Ministry's Left Wing Extremism Division, established in 2006, addresses the Maoist issues holistically and monitors the LWE situation and the measures taken by the Naxal-hit states.