New Delhi, March 31 (IANS) The BJP on Tuesday welcomed Union Home Minister Amit Shah’s announcement in the Lok Sabha that India has virtually become Naxal-free, hailing his speech as ‘historic’. The BJP leaders also defended HM Shah’s allegation against the Congress of consistently providing ideological support and a soft corner to Naxalites.

Addressing a debate on Naxalism, HM Shah had provided a detailed account of the massive success achieved under the Modi government’s zero-tolerance policy.

BJP MP Dinesh Sharma told IANS, “The Home Minister gave a historic speech.” He defended HM Shah for “exposing” the Congress in a “factual and precise” manner.

BJP MP Praveen Khandelwal, while congratulating HM Shah, emphasised that since Naxalism has now been eradicated, the citizens should be made aware of how it came into existence in the country.

Echoing the view of party MP Dinesh Sharma, Khandelwal said, “Home Minister Amit Shah presented the bitter truth about how significant Congress’s role was in allowing Naxalism to flourish.”

Sharpening the attack on Congress, BJP leader Mukhtar Abbas Naqvi told IANS, “The Congress party’s confusing policies on the issues of Naxalism and terrorism led to both of them growing manifold. After the Modi-Amit Shah government came to power, it has been eradicated from the roots, and terrorism is now breathing its last.”

BJP MP Jagdambika Pal asserted that Naxalism, which he described as a movement rooted in violence and armed struggle, led to the deaths of more than 20,000 innocent people over the years. He claimed that the so-called “Red Corridor” had expanded across nearly a dozen states during the tenure of the Congress-led United Progressive Alliance (UPA), posing a major internal security challenge.

He also targeted the National Advisory Council, which functioned during the UPA era under the chairmanship of Sonia Gandhi, alleging that it interfered in anti-Naxal operations.

BJP MP Manoj Tiwari also reiterated HM Shah’s announcement that Naxalism has been eliminated. He further told reporters, “Those few who are left have either surrendered or are in the process of surrendering.”

“Naxalism was run by a handful of people with their own ideology. They believed that the path to power goes through the gun. Should power be claimed by the gun or through the electoral process of the democracy?,” he said.

–IANS

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