PM Modi says India has fulfilled pledge to end Naxalism and Maoism

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Saturday said that the country had fulfilled a pledge made a year ago on Patel's 150th birth anniversary, when he had vowed that the nation would not rest until it was free of Naxalism and Maoism.
"Just a year later, we have fulfilled that resolve. Today, Naxalism has ended," he said.

He said India is "safer than ever before" and "more determined," attributing this in large part to the growing self-confidence of its people, which he said stems from achievements and from the sensitivity of the government and the system.

Pointing to recent global turmoil, the Prime Minister said several countries had been forced to cap the purchase of diesel and petrol. India, he noted, had faced dire predictions because of its large population and lack of significant domestic petroleum production.
“Amidst these apprehensions, anti-India forces had also become active. However, it is a testament to India's capability that we did not allow the impact of this global energy crisis to hurt our citizens,” PM Modi said.

Also Read: Nearly 5,000 Palestinians displaced in Hebron as Israeli military lockdown enters ninth day
He described a world in which wars have broken out among multiple nations, large economies are struggling, resource shortages are growing, and global supply chains are disrupted. In such times, he said, "the unity of India, the solidarity of us fellow Indians, is our greatest strength, because it is this very unity that will steer us out of all these storms."
In a critical reference to earlier governments, the Prime Minister said talk of removing poverty had continued since Independence, and that votes had been sought in its name. "Those who raised the slogan of 'Remove Poverty,' they themselves kept becoming richer," he said, adding that he wished to discuss one major national achievement in this context.
Paying homage to Patel, Modi said it is difficult to imagine today's India without him. "Sardar Patel has shaped India into its present form. Even after Partition, it was Sardar Patel who kept India safe from the Himalayas to the Indian Ocean," he said.
Patel, the Prime Minister said, did not merely unite the country geographically but also "wove the nation into the thread of emotional unity."

He credited this to Patel's deep understanding of India's character and consciousness, including the recognition that diversity is not an obstacle but the real foundation of the country's unity.