Modi Says Every Indian District Is Free of Naxalism During Bastar Visit

India’s Prime Minister Narendra Modi said every district in the country was free of Naxalism as he celebrated Diwali with security personnel in Bastar, Chhattisgarh, on November 8. He visited a Central Reserve Police Force security camp at Karanpur and addressed the personnel gathered there. In an official post about the visit, Modi wrote: “A very special Diwali with our brave security forces in Bastar, Chhattisgarh.” In his speech, he said India had won its decades-long battle against Naxalism and Maoist violence. He credited security personnel with that achievement and said millions of residents had overcome the fear of left-wing extremism. Modi thanked members of the CRPF, its CoBRA unit, the Border Security Force, Indo-Tibetan Border Police, Sashastra Seema Bal, state police, Bastar Fighters and special forces, including women commandos. He said government services and development work had changed lives in areas affected by Naxalism and helped win residents’ support. Recalling the conflict’s earlier reach, Modi said more than 230 districts across nearly 20 states had once been affected. He named Bihar, Maharashtra, Odisha, Uttar Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh and Chhattisgarh among those states. His declaration that every district was now free of Naxalism was a claim made in the address.