Elimination of Naxalism: Maharashtra Dy CM Shinde hails PM, Shah for decisive action

Thane, May 23 (PTI) Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister Eknath Shinde on Friday hailed Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Union Home Minister Amit Shah for decisive action against Naxalism, which saw a general secretary rank ultra being neutralised for the first time in three decades.

In one of the biggest strikes on Naxalites, security forces gunned down Communist Party of India (Maoist) general secretary Nambala Keshav Rao alias Basavaraju and 26 other cadres, including 12 women, during a fierce encounter in the forest of Abhujmad along Bijapur-Narayanpur inter-district border in Chhattisgarh on Wednesday.

Known by the aliases of Gaganna, BR Dada and Prakash,Krishna, Darapu Narsingh Reddy, Basavaraju joined the outlawed movement in the 1970s. It is estimated that he carried a total bounty of Rs 10 crore in all Left Wing Extremism (LWE) affected states in the country.

In a joint operation, police's special commando unit C-60 and the CRPF also killed four Maoists in an encounter along the Maharashtra-Chhattisgarh border in Gadchiroli district on Friday.

"This (killing of Basavaraju) marks a major turning point in the decades-long Naxal insurgency, which once controlled large parts of forested regions. This is the result of coordinated efforts by state police forces, paramilitary units and C60 commandos under the direct guidance of PM Modi and Amit Shah," Shinde said.

"Union Home Minister Amit Shah has declared that Naxalism will be wiped out from the country by March 31 next year. The killing of Basavaraju and continuous action against Naxalism is evidence that we are on the right track. The entire nation is rallying around PM Modi and supporting the government's mission to eliminate internal terrorism," the Deputy CM asserted.

However, some sections of the opposition are engaging in petty politics even on such issues of national security and at such crucial times, Shinde alleged.

On the international outreach post Operation Sindoor, Shinde said India's global stature and diplomatic might were rising under PM Modi's leadership.

Under Modi's leadership, the bullets of terrorists and Naxalites will be answered with cannonballs, he added. PTI COR BNM