‘First Diwali Without Naxalism’: PM Modi Celebrates Festival With Security Personnel In Bastar

Prime Minister Narendra Modi celebrated Diwali with security personnel in Chhattisgarh’s Bastar on Sunday, terming the occasion as “special” as he said that India is celebrating the festival for the first time after winning its decades-long battle against Naxalism and Maoist violence.

Modi said this was the first Diwali in which every district in the country was free from Naxalism and crores of people had overcome the fear of insurgency. He credited security personnel for the achievement and said he had come to Bastar to celebrate the festival with them.

“This is an extraordinary achievement, and a great deal of credit goes to you. It belongs to millions of brave men and women like you, our soldiers and security personnel,” he said.

Modi Credits Security Forces, Cites Change Since 2014

The Prime Minister said the fight against Maoist violence had involved sustained sacrifices by security personnel and civilians. Referring to the period from 2004 to 2013, he said the number of security personnel killed each year was higher than the number of Naxalites killed.

He also cited the 2010 Dantewada attacks, in which 76 CRPF personnel were killed in one incident and 44 civilians in another. More than 1,000 security personnel were killed in Chhattisgarh during the period, he said.

Modi accused earlier governments of treating Naxalism as an “incurable disease” and failing to address it. He said the political will to confront the insurgency strengthened after 2014.

“For the first time in 47 years, something remarkable happened: not a single CRPF jawan lost his life while on duty during the past year,” he said, describing it as a result of the government’s policies and the security forces’ “valour, courage and restraint”.

‘Gave Security Forces Freedom To Take Decisions’

Modi said his government gave security forces the freedom to make operational decisions. “Naxalite attacks would take place, but security forces did not have the freedom to retaliate openly. We gave the security forces the freedom to take all necessary decisions,” he said.

He also said the government had acted against funding and supply networks supporting Naxalites and separatists. Measures to dismantle fake currency networks, restrict weapons supplies and limit recruitment had weakened their operations, he said.

Modi further alleged that some people within the government and the system had supported Left-Wing Extremism. His government, he said, worked to cut off that support while improving the lives of people in Naxal-affected areas.

He said Bastar, once affected by Naxalism, was now seeing development. “Owing to your sacrifice and dedication, the menace of Naxalism has now ended in this very region, and a new wave of development has begun,” he said.

PM Warns Against ‘Dimagi Naxals’

While declaring that armed Naxalites had been eliminated from forests, Modi cautioned that the threat had not ended. He used the term “Dimagi Naxals” for people he accused of influencing organisations and inciting citizens against the Constitution and democracy.

“These ‘Dimagi Naxals’ have also infiltrated several political parties and different organisations. We must identify them, defeat them and ensure the security of the nation,” he said.

Modi also thanked security personnel for their service and extended Diwali greetings to those stationed across the country. He said the armed forces guarding India’s borders and security personnel protecting the country internally both played a vital role in preserving its unity and integrity.