India Sets 2026 Deadline to Eradicate Left-Wing Extremism

The Indian government, under the leadership of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, is aiming to eradicate Left-Wing Extremism (LWE) by March 2026, announced Minister of State for Home Nityanand Rai during a Rajya Sabha session. The minister attributed the decline in Naxal violence to the government's 'zero tolerance' policy.

Rai criticized previous administrations for not implementing a national policy against Naxalism, which he said has been a problem since 1968. He argued that 'vote bank politics' prevented decisive action. The current government, however, has achieved significant results with violent incidents and deaths dropping sharply since 2010.

Congress MP Rajeev Shukla countered by stating that efforts to counter LWE were also made under previous regimes, including those led by Atal Bihari Vajpayee and Manmohan Singh. Nonetheless, Rai accused the Congress-led government in Chhattisgarh of failing to cooperate fully with the Center’s initiatives, further alleging attempts to undermine police efforts.