Amit Shah Rejects Maoist Ceasefire Offer: "Surrender Without Conditions, Red Carpet Awaits"

Union Home Minister Amit Shah on Sunday rejected the ceasefire offer from Maoists, emphasizing that if extremists want to surrender and lay down their arms, they would be welcomed without a single bullet fired at them.

"A red carpet welcome awaits you if you surrender," Amit Shah stated. (File)

This marks the first response from a top central government official to the Maoists' ceasefire proposal made approximately two weeks ago.

"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 (Maoists) want to surrender. I want to say there will be no ceasefire. If you want to surrender, there is no need for a ceasefire. Lay down your arms, not a single bullet will be fired," Shah declared.

He emphasized that surrendering Maoists would receive a "red carpet welcome" with a "lucrative" rehabilitation policy.

Speaking at the closing session of a seminar titled 'Naxal Mukt Bharat', Shah criticized Left parties for providing ideological support to Left Wing Extremism and dismissed claims that lack of development caused Maoist violence. Instead, he argued that "red terror" prevented development from reaching many parts of the country for decades.

"I want to tell you that there will be no ceasefire. If you want to surrender, lay down arms and not a single bullet will be fired. A red carpet welcome awaits you if you surrender," he reiterated.

Shah's response follows the CPI (Maoists)' ceasefire offer amid intensified security operations, including Operation Black Forest along the Chhattisgarh-Telangana border, which eliminated several top Maoist leaders.

The Home Minister explained that simply stopping Maoist killings is insufficient to eradicate Naxalism from India, as its ideology has been nurtured within society.

"Why did the Naxal problem arise, grow and develop in the country? Who provided them with ideological support? Until Indian society understands this, the idea of Naxalism and the people in society who provided ideological support, legal support, and financial support, the fight against Naxalism will not end," he stated, adding, "We must identify and understand those who continue to nurture the Naxal ideology".

Shah confidently asserted that India will be free of Naxalism by March 31, 2026.

He maintained that armed insurgents are not concerned about tribal welfare but rather about preserving the globally rejected Leftist ideology.

"They wrote letters and issued press notes demanding that Operation Black Forest be immediately stopped. The CPI and CPI(M) did. Why do they need to protect them? Why don't all these Naxal sympathizer NGOs come forward to protect the human rights of tribal victims?" he questioned.

Shah noted that Left parties remain silent on Naxal violence but raised human rights concerns when Operation Black Forest targeted Maoists. He pointed out that Naxal violence peaked when Left parties were not governing West Bengal but declined after they came to power in the 1970s.

The region from "Pashupati to Tirupati," formerly known in government documents as the "red corridor," had approximately 120 million people living under the shadow of Naxal violence, representing about 10% of India's population at that time.

Honoring those who lost their lives to Left Wing Extremism since the 1960s, Shah remarked that when Naxals now "chant from Pashupatinath to Tirupati, people laugh at them".

Regarding Jammu and Kashmir, Shah highlighted that the abolition of Article 370 was part of a strategic policy against Pakistan-sponsored terrorism, resulting in a 65% reduction in security personnel deaths and 77% fewer civilian casualties.

He also noted record turnout in Jammu and Kashmir's first post-independence Panchayat elections, with 99% voter participation in district and taluka panchayat elections, compared to previous elections where MPs were elected with just 10,000 votes due to boycotts.

Addressing the Northeast situation, Shah reported that since Prime Minister Narendra Modi's government took office in 2014, there has been a 70% reduction in security force casualties, 85% fewer civilian deaths, and 12 peace agreements signed with regional insurgent groups.

Over 10,000 militants in the Northeast have surrendered in the past 11 years, Shah added, as the region progresses with numerous development initiatives.