Union home minister Amit Shah on Monday hit out at the Congress party, stating that the root cause of naxalism in India dated back to the 1970s when Indira Gandhi served as the Prime Minister.. Union Home Minister Amit Shah in Lok Sabha during the budget session of Parliament, in New Delhi (Sansad TV). Speaking in the Lok Sabha, the senior BJP leader stated that the root cause of naxalism in India was not the demand for development, but rather the embrace of left wing ideology.. “I want to tell, the main reason of Naxalism is not the demand of development, but an ideology, to win the Presidential election, from 1970 Indira ji accepted that due to leftist ideology, Naxalism spread,” he said, alleging that Gandhi used the ideology to tilt the 1971 presidential election in favour of V.V. Giri.. “Twelve states- Chhattisgarh, Telangana, Andhra Pradesh, Odisha, Maharashtra, Madhya Pradesh, Jharkhand, Bihar, Bengal, Kerala, parts of Karnataka, and three districts of Uttar Pradesh were affected. A complete ‘Red Corridor’ was formed, and the rule of law ended there. Twelve crore people lived in poverty for years, and no one showed any concern. Thousands of young lives were lost. Many were left permanently disabled or crippled for the rest of their lives. Who is responsible for this?” Shah asked further.. The BJP leader further hit out at the Congress party, accusing them of pushing aside the focus on development of India.. “For sixty years, you failed to provide them with homes or access to clean water; you built no schools for them; you prevented mobile towers and banking facilities from reaching their areas, and yet, now you are the ones demanding accountability?” said Shah, adding that development only took place from 2014 onwards, with the election of Prime Minister Narendra Modi.. (With inputs from PTI, ANI)
