Union Home Minister Amit Shah on Sunday rejected 'ceasefire' offer proposed by the Naxalites and asked the Maoists to lay down their arms. Shah said the security forces won't fire even a single bullet if the Maoists lay down their weapons.
Shah was speaking at the valedictory session of a seminar on 'Naxal Mukt Bharat' in the national capital, New Delhi.
"Recently, to spread confusion, a letter was written stating that what has happened so far has been a mistake, that a ceasefire should be declared, and that we want to surrender. There will be no ceasefire," he said, as reported by news agency ANI. "If you want to surrender, there's no need for a ceasefire. Lay down your weapons. The police won't fire a single bullet."
In his remarks, the union home minister also hit out at those who welcomed the 'ceasefire' offer by the Maoists. He said the Left, especially the CPI and CPI-M had urged the central government to stop Operation Black Forest, which was launched against left-wing extremism.
"Why do they need to protect them...why don't NGOs come forward to protect human rights of victim tribals? Have all the people who write these lengthy articles and advise us ever written an article for the tribal victims? Why are they not concerned about this?" ANI quoted Shah as saying.
Shah also reiterated that India will be free from Naxalism by March 31, 2026. However, he said that the fight against the Naxalism will continue until those who are involved in it are brought to the mainstream.
"The government's approach is that we make every effort to arrest Naxalites and get them to surrender. We also give them a chance. We have also introduced a good surrender policy. But when you take up arms and set out to kill innocent citizens of India, the security forces have no other option. Bullets must be answered with bullets," Shah asserted.
