Union Home Minister Amit Shah addresses the ‘Bastar Dussehra Lokotsav’ and ‘Swadeshi Mela’ in Jagdalpur, on October 4, 2025. Photo: X/@AmitShah
Union Home Minister Amit Shah on Saturday (October 4, 2025) ruled out talks with Maoists until they laid down weapons and accepted the government’s surrender and rehabilitation policy.The Home Minister’s assertion comes against the backdrop of multiple letters attributed to different factions of the Maoists recently, purportedly expressing divergent views on holding talks with the government after conditionally laying down arms.“Some people have called for talks (with Naxals). Let me make it clear again that both the Chhattisgarh and Central governments are committed to development across Bastar and all Naxal-affected areas. What is there to talk about? A beneficial surrender-and-rehabilitation policy has been put in place. Come forward and lay down your weapons,” said Mr. Shah at a public meeting in Jagdalpur, the headquarter of Chhattisgarh’s Bastar district.He was addressing a gathering that had come to attend the traditional ‘Bastar Dussehra Lokotsav’, and a ‘Swadeshi Mela’ organised by RSS-affiliated Swadeshi Jagran Manch.Reiterating the deadline of March 2026 that the Union government has set for eliminating Maoism from the country, the Home Minister warned the Maoists of security actions. “If you take up arms and try to disrupt the peace of Bastar, our armed forces, CRPF, and Chhattisgarh Police will give a befitting reply. March 31, 2026, is the date set to bid farewell to Naxalism from this country,” he said.Mr. Shah also took a swipe at those who dubbed Naxalism as a “fight for development”. “Some people in Delhi used to spread misinformation for years that the birth of Naxalism was for the fight for development. But I have come to tell my tribal brothers that the entire Bastar has been deprived of development. The root cause of this is Naxalism,” he said.The Minister said that basic amenities such as electricity, drinking water, roads, and toilets in every house, health insurance up to ₹5 lakh, and 5kg free rice had reached every village in India but Bastar, as he blamed Maoism for the same.He also appealed to the tribals in the region to persuade the youth of their villages to lay down arms. “They should shun violence, join the mainstream, and become part of the development of Bastar,” he said. Published - October 04, 2025 03:59 pm IST
