Amit Shah Rejects Naxal Ceasefire, Demands Unconditional Surrender Only

Union Home Minister Amit Shah delivered a blistering rejection of a ceasefire proposal from Maoist insurgents on Sunday, September 28, 2025, during the valedictory session of the 'Naxal Mukt Bharat' seminar, signaling an unyielding crackdown on Left Wing Extremism (LWE). In a fiery address, Shah dismissed the CPI (Maoists)' recent letter—penned amid heavy losses in operations like “Operation Black Forest” along the Chhattisgarh-Telangana border—that pleaded for a truce, admitting past "mistakes" and floating surrender talks. His response? No mercy, no pause, only an open door for unconditional surrender.

“There will be no ceasefire. If you want to surrender, lay down your arms, and not a single bullet will be fired,” Shah declared, promising a “red carpet welcome” backed by a “lucrative” rehabilitation policy for Naxals who disarm. He doubled down, repeating: “Surrender, and a red carpet awaits. But no ceasefire—drop your weapons, and we’ll talk.” The hardline stance comes as security forces notch up successes, with recent ops neutralizing several top Maoist commanders, shrinking their strongholds to just four districts across Chhattisgarh, Jharkhand, and Odisha, according to Home Ministry data.

Shah didn’t stop at the rebels. He took aim at Left-leaning parties and intellectuals, accusing them of fueling Naxalism with ideological, legal, and financial cover. “Why did Naxalism grow? Who nurtured its ideology?” he thundered, debunking claims that underdevelopment alone drives the insurgency. “It’s red terror that blocked development for decades,” he argued, citing how Maoist violence has stifled roads, schools, and hospitals in tribal belts. Shah urged society to unmask and confront those still peddling Naxal rhetoric, warning that eradicating the menace demands rooting out its intellectual enablers.

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The minister’s speech framed Naxalism as a societal cancer, not just a security issue. “Some think stopping killings ends Naxalism. Wrong. Its ideology was bred within our society,” he said, pointing to urban sympathizers and historical support from certain political quarters. He referenced the CPI (Maoists)’s dwindling influence—once spanning 96 districts, now barely 40—as proof that intensified operations, coupled with development pushes like PM Modi’s Aspirational Districts program, are strangling the movement. Recent figures peg Naxal-related deaths at a 40-year low, with 126 civilians and 56 security personnel killed in 2024, down from 1,750 annually in the 2000s.

Shah’s bold timeline—eradicating Naxalism by March 31, 2026—drew cheers from the seminar crowd, packed with police brass, CRPF officials, and policy wonks. He highlighted “Operation Black Forest” as a turning point, where drones, elite CoBRA units, and inter-state coordination decimated Maoist camps, seizing caches of AK-47s and explosives. Yet, he cautioned, the last mile requires vigilance against “urban Naxals” who amplify the cause on campuses and in media. Posts on X echoed his resolve, with users praising the no-nonsense approach but some warning of rehabilitation challenges for surrendered cadres, citing past failures in reintegration.

Critics, however, see risks in Shah’s all-or-nothing gambit. Tribal rights activists argue that heavy-handed operations alienate Adivasi communities, while Left-leaning commentators on X accused Shah of “demonizing dissent” to silence broader critiques of governance. Still, the Home Ministry’s data paints a grim picture for Maoists: 1,443 cadres surrendered in 2024 alone, with 389 arrested and 202 killed in encounters. Shah’s message was clear—surrender or face obliteration—but the subtext was bolder: India’s war on Naxalism is as much about ideas as it is about guns.

As the March 2026 deadline looms, Shah’s uncompromising stand sets the stage for a high-stakes endgame. With security forces tightening the noose and development projects flooding Maoist zones with roads and 4G towers, the red corridor is fading. But the battle for hearts and minds—against both jungle guerrillas and their urban cheerleaders—promises to be the real test. For now, Shah’s gauntlet is down: surrender, or the “red carpet” stays rolled up.

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