From Conflict to Caution

As Naxalism wanes due to internal rifts and State action, Home Minister Amit Shah has set March 31, 2026, deadline for its eradication. But tribals and activists now warn of new corporate threats, reports Archis Mohan

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Union Home Minister Amit Shah renewed his vow to eradicate Naxalism from India by March 31, 2026, declaring on Sunday in Lucknow that the Left-wing extremism (LWE) would soon be a thing of the past. It was not the first time he made such a resolution in the past year, but the setting—an event distributing appointment letters to newly recruited constables—lent it symbolic heft.

The Union government's strategy relies on a combination of improved road and telecom connectivity, financial inclusion, skilling of tribal youth, and intensified security operations in districts affected by LWE. Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) data shows a sharp decline in the number of affected districts: From 126 in 2014 to 90 in 2018, 70 in 2021, 38 in April 2024, and just 18 now.

Naxal influence, which once stretched across 11 states, is now largely confined to just three districts, Shah noted.

Among those who believe Shah's optimism may be justified is journalist and author Shubhranshu Choudhary, who has spent two decades working with tribal communities in Chhattisgarh. Choudhary, a former BBC producer who now runs CGNetSwara—a citizen journalism initiative training tribal youth—attributes Naxalism's decline to betrayals from within. It is, he says, the "Vibhishans"—the turncoats—who have dealt the heaviest blows to the Naxal movement.