Govt keen to rehabilitate rebels... but will reply to bullets with bullets: Vishnu Deo

New Delhi A day after 31 Maoists were killed in a gunfight, the single largest casualty count in a single anti-Naxal op, Chhattisgarh CM Vishnu Deo Sai spoke to HT about the ongoing operations, the Centre’s deadline to end Left-Wing Extremism (LWE), and allegations of fake encounter killings. Sai urged the Naxals to lay down arms, promised to rehabilitate them, but said that the reply for a bullet will be a bullet. Edited excerpts:

The Centre has set a deadline of March 31, 2026 to eliminate Naxalism. What is the road map for this? It has been 13 months since we came to power in the state. We took oath on December 13, 2023. The following month, Union home minister Amit Shah came to Chhattisgarh. In one of the meetings, the deadline to eliminate LWE from the whole country by March 2026 was set. Since then, the home minister has been visiting Chhattisgarh regularly. In these 13 months, there have been 157 gunfights, 305 Naxals bodies were recovered, 985 have surrendered, and 1,157 were arrested. Our forces have entered Abhujmaad, where there are no roads -- it was not even surveyed. Yesterday’s anti-Naxal operation is the biggest till date. The morale of the jawans is high. We are in the right direction. Our main goal is not just to end Naxalism, but to ensure a brighter future for the people, bringing peace and development.

Tell us something about the surrender policy you are working on.Our state home minister visited different states and is incorporating the best practices in the policy. The government is building 15,000 Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana homes for surrendered Naxalites and affected families, offering them a safer and better quality of life. Surrendered cadres are being given skill training to ensure that they are rehabilitated. Wherever and whenever camps are opened, all facilities are being given to the villagers -- be it electricity, health care, water. And then we are installing cell phone towers. Over 150 cell phone towers have been set up till now. The government is also supporting tribal students academically. The government has now introduced MBBS courses in Hindi, ensuring rural students can pursue medical education without facing language barriers.

There are gunfights and there are surrenders. What is your message to the Naxals fighting back?There is a saying — “Goli ka jawab goli se aur boli ka jawab boli se” (Reply to bullets with bullets and to words with words). If they do not want to surrender and instead use bullets, then the reply will also be with bullets. The government will talk to them if they wish to surrender. Their lives will improve, and we will rehabilitate them.

There are allegations of fake encounters in some cases...This is a narrative by Opposition and people with vested interests. When 29 people were killed in a single encounter, such allegations were levelled then too. Later, the Maoists themselves released the names of people who were all wanted full-time cadres. Look at the type of weapons our forces are recovering after each gunfight. These are attempts to build a fake narrative. Those getting killed in gunfights are armed and uniformed Naxals.

How will you get people to visit Bastar region once the area is no longer a red corridor?Bastar and Surguja of Chhattisgarh are among the most beautiful parts of the country. Bastar has the Niagara of Asia, the Kotamsar caves, and above all, it is a place where there is beautiful tribal culture. We have improved air connectivity. The government has decided to provide special grants to entrepreneurs offering homestay facilities, which will help boost tourism infrastructure. Enhanced tourism infrastructure will directly contribute to creating more local employment opportunities.