LWE grew due to Congress, BJP brought peace: PM in Chhattisgarh

Prime Minister Narendra Modi said on Sunday that the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) government was committed to ending Maoism by developing the areas that were once insurgent strongholds as he accused the Congress of “encouraging” Left Wing Extremism (LWE).

Addressing a rally in the Bilaspur district of Chhattisgarh, Modi said that the policies of previous Congress governments provided impetus to Maoism and hindered the state’s development.

“Over the decades, Naxalism got encouragement in many states, including Chhattisgarh, due to the policies of Congress. Whichever region lagged in development, Naxalism flourished there, but what did the party that ran the government for 60 years do? It declared such districts as backward and turned away from its responsibility… The indifference of erstwhile governments was like adding fuel to the fire,” he said.

The Prime Minister added that under the “double-engine” BJP government at the Centre and state, the ground situation was rapidly changing and a new era of peace was taking shape in Maoist-affected areas. “Due to development and welfare efforts, a new era of peace is being seen in the naxal-affected areas,” Modi said, adding that “Naxalism got encouragement due to the policies of the Congress”.

The PM’s remarks come against the backdrop of an uptick in aggression against LWE as part of the Centre’s efforts to end Maoism in the country by March 31, 2026. On Saturday, security forces killed 18 Maoists in twin Chhattisgarh encounters, taking the total number of Maoists killed in the state this year to 131.

The Congress rejected the PM’s remarks, accusing him of making “false statements”.  “Earlier, Amit Shah during a, told people that there is a 72% decrease in Maoist violence in Chhattisgarh… Now the PM is making a similar statement… This is false and should be condemned,” said RP Singh, senior Congress leader and party spokesperson.

Hours before Modi’s visit, 50 Maoists, including top rebel leaders, surrendered in the state’s Bijapur district, officials familiar with the matter said. “Three surrendered ultras have bounties of ₹5 lakh each, while five have rewards of ₹1 lakh each on their heads. The District Reserve Guard (DRG), Bastar Fighters, Special Task Force (STF), CRPF and its elite unit CoBRA (Commando Battalion for Resolute Action) played a key role in their surrender,” Bijapur SSP Jitendra Kumar Yadav said.

Home minister Amit Shah said the Centre was on track to ending Maoism by March 2026 and encouraged more rebels to surrender. “It is a matter of great joy that 50 Naxalites in Bijapur (Chhattisgarh) surrendered, abandoning the path of violence. I welcome those who leave violence and weapons and join the mainstream of development,” he said in a post on X.

As part of the broader offensive against the Maoists, the government has also undertaken the construction of roads and the unveiling of various developmental projects in areas that were once plagued by LWE.

During his visit, the PM also unveiled projects worth over ₹33,700 crore, spanning sectors such as power, rail, road, education and housing, which covered different parts of the states, including the areas worst hit by Maoism.

“Today, on the auspicious day of Navratri, 3 lakh (300,000) poor families of Chhattisgarh are entering their new homes. I wish all these families the best for a new life. It is only because of you all that a concrete roof over the heads of these poor families has become possible; I am saying this because you trusted Modi’s guarantee,” he said.

 Modi said the BJP government was committed to working for the welfare of tribal people and had implemented various schemes to achieve the goal. “We are also running special campaigns for the development of tribal society. We have started the Dharti Aba Tribal Development Campaign for you. Even among the tribals, there are very backward tribal communities. For the first time, our government has created PM Janman Yojana for such extremely backward tribal communities,” he said.

 Criticising the Congress, Modi said Chhattisgarh needed to be carved out as a separate state because “the benefits of development were not reaching here.” He accused the Congress of “committing scams” and said it was never “concerned” about people’s welfare.

 “Development work could not be done under the Congress rule, and even if there was some development, Congress people used to commit scams. Congress was never concerned about your life, your facilities, and your children, but we are taking development schemes to every village of Chhattisgarh,” he said.

The Congress rejected his charge and said that it has always worked for the welfare of the people. “

“ Modi ji should take stock of the situation in Chhattisgarh during BJP’s rule. Everywhere corruption is going on. Congress has worked for people of the state and will always do it ,” said RP Singh.

*Congress reaction to this*  

Chief minister Vishnu Deo Sai, who shared the stage with Modi, lauded the PM. “Modi ji worships those whom others ignore. He has fulfilled his commitment to provide pucca houses to needy families in rural areas of Chhattisgarh and improve their overall quality of life, “ he said.

 During his visit, Modi also flagged off the MEMU train service on the Abhanpur-Raipur rail section and dedicated the complete electrification of the Indian Railways network in the state.