Targeting political opponents, Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Sunday said armed Maoists have been eliminated, but "dimagi Naxals" have infiltrated several political parties and organisations.
JAGDALPUR — Targeting political opponents, Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Sunday said armed Maoists have been eliminated, but "dimagi Naxals" have infiltrated several political parties and organisations and are instigating people against the Constitution and democracy.
"We must identify and defeat such elements and secure the country," Modi said, while celebrating Diwali with security personnel at a CRPF camp in Chhattisgarh's Bastar, continuing his tradition of spending the festival with India's brave men and women in uniform.
The government declared the country free of Naxalism on March 31 this year.
The threat of Naxalism has not ended. The government took decisions that "dealt very big blows to the funding of Naxals and secessionists,” said Modi, dressed in a military-style camouflage uniform and a hat.
He said the Maoist terror elimination was a victory of the country's right policies and strong political will.
"Amid the successes, we must remember one more thing. Naxalites have been eliminated, but the threat is not over yet. Armed Naxalites have disappeared from the forests, but 'dimagi Naxals' (their ideological supporters) have taken control of several organisations," he said.
"Even today, they are instigating people against the country's Constitution and democracy. They have infiltrated several political parties and different organisations. We must identify and defeat them and secure the country," he added.
On his Independence Day in August, Modi had also referred to 'dimagi Naxals', saying the country succeeded in removing armed Naxalism, but its ideological supporters were seeking opportunities to promote violence.
Recalling the fight against Naxalism in Bastar, Modi on Sunday said it was not easy, as at one point over 230 districts across nearly 20 states were affected by Left-Wing Extremism.
After sunset, life would come to a standstill. Thousands of villages and crores of people were affected, with around 2,000 Naxalite attacks taking place annually, he said.
"This land had become soaked in the blood of our brave personnel, but not a single sigh of grief was heard from any of the 'naamdaar' (powerful people) living in palaces. Not a single tear rolled down their eyes. Such attacks continued to take place somewhere or the other almost every day," he said, targeting previous governments.
Between 2004 and 2013, every year, more security personnel were killed than the number of Naxalites eliminated, he stated.
"Unfortunately, the governments of that time treated Naxalism as an incurable disease and left it unaddressed. No country can function with such an approach towards its enemies. To take the country forward, its enemies have to be crushed with unwavering determination and a well-planned strategy," he asserted.
"The lack of political will that the country faced was addressed in 2014, when you gave this Pradhan Sevak the opportunity to serve Mother India," Modi said.
The situation and morale of security forces began changing after 2014. For the first time in 47 years, not a single CRPF personnel lost his life while on duty over the past year, he noted.
"This is a victory of the country's right policies and strong political will. This is a victory of your valour, courage and restraint," he said.
The PM further said the government has tough decisions to strengthen national security, including measures not widely known.
"These decisions and efforts dealt a major blow to the funding networks of Naxalites and secessionists. The fake currency nexus was destroyed. This not only broke their financial backbone but also choked their entire supply lines. As a result, the supply of weapons was stopped, and the recruitment of Naxalites was curbed," he said.
Modi alleged that previous governments tied the hands of security forces during ground operations and denied them the freedom to retaliate effectively against Maoist attacks.
"We gave security forces the freedom to take every necessary decision. We also worked to stop the support that Left-Wing Extremism received from certain people within the government and the system," he said.
The PM said his government's objective was to ensure that no mother lost her child, no family was pushed into devastation, no child took up arms, and no youth's future was destroyed.
"We remained committed to this resolve until the goal was achieved. Without publicity or showmanship, we worked with sensitivity and broke the backbone of Maoist terrorists. We transformed the lives of people in Naxal-affected areas through a spirit of service, which led those suffering from Naxalism to stand firmly with the government and security forces," he said.
In the past 12 years, the country not only won the battle against Naxalism and secessionists, but has also achieved a major victory in its fight against poverty, he said.
Modi cited a World Bank report that 50 crore people had come out of extreme poverty in India over the last 12 years. What decades of 'garibi hatao' slogans could not achieve, the country accomplished in just 12 years, he highlighted.
Modi said India has the capability to fulfil its resolutions, citing the abrogation of Article 370, construction of household toilets and vaccination coverage expansion.
"When we speak of eliminating poverty, building a drug-free India, creating a developed India and making India self-reliant, the country will achieve these goals as well," he added.