Kumar Bahukhandi
Prime Minister Narendra Modi offers sweets to security personnel during Diwali celebrations at the CRPF camp in Karanpur, Bastar, Chhattisgarh, on 8 November 2026.:Photo channel24india.com
At the CRPF camp in Karanpur, the Prime Minister recalled the lives lost in Dantewada, defended his government’s strategy and urged continued vigilance.
Bastar: Prime Minister Narendra Modi shared Diwali sweets with security personnel at the Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) camp in Karanpur on Sunday, 8 November 2026. In his address, he called it the first Diwali with every district free of Naxalism and credited security personnel for the gains against the Maoist insurgency. The visit came more than seven months after the Centre declared India free of Naxalism on 31 March.
Before travelling to Bastar, Modi said he was going there to salute security personnel for their “sacrifices, selfless service and unwavering devotion to the nation”. At the camp, he told personnel that he regarded them as members of his own family.
Modi Recalls the Toll of Maoist Violence
Modi said that for the first time in 47 years, no CRPF jawan had died in the line of duty over the previous year. He contrasted that record with the losses the force had suffered during the insurgency, recalling the 2010 attack in Dantewada that killed 76 CRPF personnel. He also cited a separate incident in Dantewada that year in which, he said, 44 civilians died.
The Prime Minister argued that earlier governments had come to treat Naxalism as an intractable problem. He said political resolve and a change in strategy after 2014 had helped turn the tide. He also credited decisions by his government with disrupting counterfeit currency networks and cutting into the financing of Maoist and separatist groups.
A Warning After the Gains Against Armed Groups
Even as he declared victory over armed Maoists, Modi urged continued vigilance. He used the phrase “dimagi Naxals” and alleged that people sympathetic to Maoist ideology had infiltrated political parties and other organisations. He accused them of inciting people against the Constitution and democratic institutions.
Modi Links Security Gains to the Fight Against Poverty
Modi also used the address to make a broader argument about welfare. Citing the World Bank, he said 50 crore people in India had moved out of extreme poverty over the past 12 years. He likened the government’s welfare programmes to a Diwali rangoli, with different schemes contributing to the effort to improve living conditions. He had cited the same figure earlier in the week during the inauguration of Pune Metro Line 3.
