Raipur (Chhattisgarh) [India], May 11 : Former Chhattisgarh Chief Minister Bhupesh Baghel has said that Naxalism has not been completely eradicated in the state, asserting that incidents are still taking place and security forces continue to remain deployed in affected areas.
Speaking toon Sunday, Baghel said that during the Congress government in the state, efforts were made to empower the people of Bastar and reclaim villages affected by Naxal influence.
"Naxalism has not been completely eradicated; incidents continue to occur. During our government, we empowered the people, specifically the residents of Bastar. We successfully reclaimed control over 600 villages. However, Naxalism has not yet been completely eliminated; incidents are still taking place," Baghel said.
He further stated that security personnel are still deployed in the region and protection is being provided to local public representatives and government officials.
"Security forces remain deployed, and protection continues to be provided to local public representatives and government officials. Therefore, until the situation returns to normalcy, it would be incorrect to assume that we've become Naxal-free," he added.
Earlier in March, Union Home Minister Amit Shah said that the government had set the target of eliminating Naxalism by March 31 this year, and he can say with confidence that "we have become Naxal-free".
Replying to the debate in Lok Sabha on efforts to free the country from Left Wing Extremism, Amit Shah slammed Rahul Gandhi, who is the Leader of Opposition in Lok Sabha, and alleged that the Congress leader has been seen on numerous occasions with Naxals and their sympathisers.
He gave details of action taken by security forces in tackling Naxalism and said 4,839 (Naxalites) have surrendered, 2,218 have been sent to jail, and 706 who refused to surrender and remained in hiding were gunned down by the police in encounters.
"We had set a target to make the region Naxal-free by March 31st. After the entire process, I'll inform the nation. However, I can state with absolute confidence that we've indeed become Naxal-free," he said.
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