The North News
New Delhi, October 18
Prime Minister Narendra Modi has said that Maoist terrorism was a “great injustice and grave sin against the nation’s youth” as he underlined his government’s efforts to end decades of insurgency in India’s heartland.
Speaking at the NDTV World Summit 2025 in New Delhi, Modi said that since 2014, his government has worked with “full sensitivity” to reintegrate misguided youth into the mainstream. He noted that the number of districts affected by Maoist violence had fallen from 125 to just 11 over the past 11 years, with only three now considered highly affected.
The Prime Minister linked the fall in Maoist activity to increased security operations and targeted development in tribal and rural regions. He highlighted the recent success of Operation Sindoor, which he said had drawn international recognition.
Modi accused the previous opposition governments of allowing “Urban Naxals” to dominate the national discourse, claiming they occupied key institutions and diverted attention away from the severity of Maoist violence. “While terrorism and Article 370 were debated widely, Urban Naxals suppressed discourse on Maoist violence,” he said.
Reflecting on the situation that once gripped vast areas across India’s so-called Red Corridor, the Prime Minister recalled a time when government authority was nearly absent. “Governments were elected, but in those regions they held no real power. People feared stepping out after dusk,” he said.
He underscored the human cost of over five decades of violence—thousands of lives lost, including many security personnel, and development blocked through targeted attacks on schools, hospitals and infrastructure projects. Tribal and Dalit communities, he added, suffered the worst.
The Prime Minister said thousands of Naxalites have surrendered in the past decade, including 303 in the last 75 hours alone, some carrying bounties of up to ₹1 crore. A significant cache of weapons was also recovered.
Highlighting the changing face of Bastar, once seen as a Naxal stronghold, Modi said: “Today, tribal youth are organising the Bastar Olympics — a symbol of peace and progress.” He added that this Diwali, areas freed from Maoist control would celebrate “with renewed joy”.
He concluded with a broader vision for the country’s future, declaring, “India will neither stop nor pause. 140 crore Indians are moving forward rapidly, together.”
