NEW DELHI: Union Home Minister Amit Shah said on Monday that Naxalism did not spread in the country due to poverty, but there was poverty in the concerned areas because of Left Wing Extremism.
Replying to the debate in Lok Sabha on efforts to free the country from Left Wing Extremism, Amit Shah said Naxalism has been almost eradicated from Bastar and the people of the region were left behind in development parameters as "the shadow of Red Terror loomed".
"The root cause of Naxalism is not the demand for development. It is an ideology--an ideology that Indira Ji embraced back in 1970 in order to win the presidential election. Naxalism has spread precisely because of this Leftist ideology," he said.
"Twelve states- Chhattisgarh, Telangana, Andhra Pradesh, Odisha, Maharashtra, Madhya Pradesh, Jharkhand, Bihar, Bengal, Kerala, parts of Karnataka, and three districts of Uttar Pradesh were affected. A complete 'Red Corridor' was formed, and the rule of law ended there. Twelve crore people lived in poverty for years, and no one showed any concern. Thousands of young lives were lost. Many were left permanently disabled or crippled for the rest of their lives. Who is responsible for this?" he asked.
Amit Shah targeted Congress and asked why tribal communities remained "deprived of development" during its rule.
"Out of the 75 years since independence, power remained in your (Congress) hands for 60 years. Why, then, have the tribal communities remained deprived of development to this day? It is only now, with the arrival of Narendra Modi, that actual development is taking place. For sixty years, you failed to provide them with homes or access to clean water; you built no schools for them; you prevented mobile towers and banking facilities from reaching their areas, and yet, now you are the ones demanding accountability?" he added.
"Today, Naxalism has been almost eradicated from Bastar. A campaign was launched to establish a school in every single village across Bastar. A drive was undertaken to open a ration shop in every village within the region. Primary Health Centres (PHCs) and Community Health Centres (CHCs) have been established in every Tehsil and Panchayat. Aadhaar cards and ration cards have been issued to the people, and they are now receiving five kilograms of food grains," he said. (ANI)
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