It’s Time for Final Assault on Left-wing Extremism; Says Amit Shah

New Delhi: The problem of Left-wing extremism (LWE) is at its fag ends and India would get rid of it by March 2026, said Union Home Minister Amit Shah on Monday.

Addressing a review meeting attended by chief ministers of eight LWE-affected states today, Shah informed that for the first time in 30 years, deaths due to LWE violence in India had fallen below 100. He termed it a major achievement.

According to the Home Minister, around 13,000 LWE cadres had surrendered arms and joined the mainstream in the last ten years. He appealed the youths still part of the Maoist organizations to surrender and seek benefits of Centre’s “lucrative rehabilitation schemes.”

“The time for final assault, a final push against LWE is now”, said Shah.

India now has 38 LWE-affected districts. Out of them 15 are in Chhattisgarh. The states affected by the naxalite-menace are Chhattisgarh, Odisha, Telangana, Maharashtra, Jharkhand, Bihar, Andhra Pradesh and Madhya Pradesh.