by admin | May 25, 2021 | News, Politics

Rajnath Singh
Raipur : Union Home Minister Rajnath Singh on Thursday expressed confidence over eliminating naxalism in the coming three-five years and asked Maoists to join the mainstream by surrendering under the rehabilitation policy for them.
“Naxalism will end in next three to five years. The surrender process is continuous and the government has decided to make the rehabilitation policy more effective,” he told reporters here during his two-day election campaigning in Chhattisgarh.
Rajnath Singh said Maoism was going through its last phase and that it had been reduced from ninety districts to only ten or eleven districts of the country.
He said earlier the killing of security personnel was more but the number of casualty of Maoists has increased with forces having an upper hand.
The Minister appealed to the Maoists to shun the path of violence and surrender, assuring them of providing benefits of rehabilitation policy being pursued by the government.
The Minister mocked at the Congress for not declaring its Chief Ministerial candidate in Chhattisgarh, saying “Congress is moving ahead with a marriage procession without the groom”.
“The Congress as well as all opposition political parties have been currently facing a crisis of credibility. The Congress has lost its inherent strength which is the base of any political party. This is the reason the Congress hasn’t so far announced its Chief Ministerial candidate (in Chhattisgarh),” he said.
Congress, which is seeking to end 15 years of BJP rule in Chhattisgarh, has so far not declared its Chief Ministerial candidate in the state that will go for the second phase of Assembly polls in 72 of the 90 constituencies on November 20 to elect a new Assembly. The first phase concluded on November 12.
Calling Congress manifesto a “postdated cheque”, the Minister said: “the Congress recently launched its manifesto. What is the purpose of launching the manifesto when a political party has lost its faith in public and there is no credibility of its promises.”
Rajnath Singh said the faith of people in the state has increased in Bharatiya Janata Party and its Chief Minister Raman Singh.
“I am saying it on the basis of reading the mood of people after the first phase of Assembly elections and attending three public meetings on Wednesday. Generally, credibility of crisis arises among people against any political party or the Chief Minister who work for long time. But there is a reverse impact in Chhattisgarh. Despite working for 15 years, people’s faith has increased for Raman Singh.”
Rajnath Singh said that Raman Singh’s government has done a wonderful work in Chhattisgarh since 2003.
“Chhattisgarh’s GDP (Gross Domestic Product) has risen to more than 3.25 lakh crore from around 39,000 crore in 2003. This is not a small thing.”
—IANS
by admin | May 25, 2021 | Interviews

Chhattisgarh Chief Minister Raman Singh
By Brajendra Nath Singh,
Raipur : Chhattisgarh Chief Minister Raman Singh says “frustrated Maoists” are losing their footholds due to the joint actions of the state and central governments which have put the state on the path of development by building roads, schools and hospitals in remote, inaccessible areas that were earlier the hotbeds of left-wing extremist militias.
The longest-serving Chief Minister of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) also said that Naxalism can only be countered through development and that there would be “no dearth of money” in this regard as long as Narendra Modi is the Prime Minister.
“My dream for the state is a peaceful and progressive Chhattisgarh. We are on that path. We will soon end the menace of Naxalism from its roots. We are progressing in that direction,” Singh told IANS in an interview here.
Asserting that development is the “mool mantra” (basic principle) of the BJP government, he said, “By carrying out development works, we have been successful in awakening society. It will definitely benefit us.
“Naxalism can only be countered by development. Wherever we are constructing roads and working on development, the Maoists are losing their foothold. Now, we have reached very close and are moving ahead in an important direction to root out the menace.”
The Chief Minister said that his government was getting better cooperation from the Centre on the Maoist front, especially after the BJP came to power in 2014, and has been working in close coordination with it.
“We are getting all sorts of support from Prime Minister Modi and Home Minister Rajnath Singh. The Prime Minister’s priority has always been the development of the Maoist-affected areas. He recently provided a special fund of Rs 600 crore for the aspirational districts of the country among which seven districts are from Chhattisgarh. He provided the District Mineral Foundation (DMF) to us and we got Rs 300 crore additional funds for the state. There is no dearth of money for development as long as BJP is there at the Centre,” he said.
Singh said there are still many backward districts in Chhattisgarh, including Dantewada, Bijapur and Sukma.
“They all are areas with heavy Maoist presence. We brought these areas into the mainstream on a priority basis. We developed these areas as educational hubs where over 4,000 students are studying. We have built many hospitals, providing them modern equipment, and deputed well-educated and qualified doctors to bring development to the doorsteps of the people of these areas,” he said.
Singh, who is seeking a fourth consecutive term in office, said that his government has constructed roads into those areas where it was impossible to reach.
“We are connecting the whole state with four-five lane roads. Many such projects have been completed while some are on the verge of completion. We have done our best to provide high-quality infrastructure. During my visits to such areas, I find people’s level of satisfaction has improved. Earlier, Chhattisgarh was rated among the most backward states; now we are counted among the fast-developing states,” Singh said.
Dubbing Maoists as anti-development, the Chief Minister said that the Sukma district of the state has become international headquarters of Maoists as it is surrounded by Andhra Pradesh and Telangana.
“A major group of Maoists from Andhra Pradesh and Telangana are active in Chhattisgarh. They are using their entire power in Chhattisgarh as they are fighting for their their survival,” he said.
(Brajendra Nath Singh can be contacted at brajendra.n@ians.in)
—IANS