Amit Shah rules out talks with Maoists, reiterates March 2026 deadline

Chhattisgarh: Union Home Minister Amit Shah on Saturday, October 4, ruled out talks with Maoists and said they will have to lay down weapons and accept the government’s “lucrative surrender and rehabilitation policy”.

Addressing the ‘Bastar Dussehra Lokotsav’ and ‘Swadeshi Mela’ in Jagdalpur, the headquarters of Chhattisgarh’s Bastar district, he asserted that March 31, 2026, has been set as the deadline to bid farewell to the menace of Maoism.

“I want to tell all my tribal brothers and sisters to persuade the youth of their villages to lay down their arms. They should shun violence, join the mainstream, and become part of the development of Bastar,” he said.

Security forces, including the CRPF and Chhattisgarh police, will give a befitting reply if ultras disrupt peace in Bastar, Shah warned.

Shah said he visited the renowned Maa Danteshwari Temple here and had prayed that security forces get strength to free the entire Bastar region from “red terror” by March 31 next year.

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Notably, anti-Maoist operations intensified in Chhattisgarh after the BJP came to power in 2023. Security forces have gunned down over 450 Maoists in a string of encounters, mostly centred in the Bastar region, since January last year.

“Some people have called for talks (with Maoists). Let me make it clear again that both the Chhattisgarh and Central governments are committed to development across Bastar and all Maoist-affected areas. What is there to talk about? A lucrative surrender-and-rehabilitation policy has been put in place. Come forward and lay down your weapons,” Shah said.

“Some people in Delhi used to spread misinformation for years that the birth of Maoism 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.

Today, electricity, drinking water, roads, toilets in homes, health insurance of up to Rs 5 lakh and 5 kg free rice have reached every village in India but Bastar has been deprived of such development, Shah said.

“The Chhattisgarh government has made the best surrender policy in the country. More than 500 people have surrendered in a single month. Everyone should surrender. As soon as a village becomes Maoist-free, the state government will give it Rs 1 crore for development,” he said.

“Narendra Modi govt has given more than Rs 4 lakh crore to Chhattisgarh for development works in 10 years. On behalf of the PM, I want to assure you that after March 31, 2026, Maoism will not be able to stop your development. They will not be able to stop your rights,” he said.

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