Amit Shah’s Remarks on Maoist Elimination “Childish and Misleading” : Gopal Tiwari

Pune : The Congress has strongly criticized Union Home Minister Amit Shah for claiming credit for the elimination of Maoist–Naxalite insurgency, calling his statements “childish, arrogant, and misleading.”

Senior Maharashtra Congress spokesperson Gopal Tiwari said the fight against Naxalism has been ongoing for decades and cannot be attributed to the BJP government alone. He emphasized that several Congress leaders sacrificed their lives in this struggle.

Citing Home Ministry data, Tiwari noted that 2,160 Naxalites were neutralized between 2004–2013, compared to 2,088 between 2014–2025, indicating that previous Congress-led governments played a significant role.

He added that the decline in Naxalism is not just due to security operations but also due to developmental efforts under the UPA government, including strengthening tribal rights, infrastructure development, and cutting supply networks of insurgents.

Tiwari also termed the claim that Naxalism has been “completely eliminated” as exaggerated, noting that several districts remain affected even today.

He further alleged that recent policies have weakened tribal rights in favor of corporate interests and warned that ignoring tribal concerns could lead to future unrest.