"Surrender of Naxalites gives us all satisfaction": Congress leader Bhupesh Baghel congratulates BJP govt, security forces

Raipur (Chhattisgarh) [India], October 18 (ANI): Senior Congress leader and former Chief Minister of Chhattisgarh Bhupesh Baghel congratulated the BJP-led state government and security forces after 208 Naxalites surrendered in Bastar.
Expressing satisfaction with the surrender of Naxalites, the Congress MLA said that he is happy that the state government moved forward with the Congress "Trust-Development-Security policy" to tackle Naxalism.
"I am happy today that the state government, along with the Union Home Minister Ji, has moved forward by adopting our "Trust-Development-Security' policy as before," Bhupesh Baghel said.
"Today, the large-scale surrender of Naxalites in Bastar gives us all satisfaction that this national fight will soon move towards its end. We will all win together. Congratulations to the government and security forces," he added.
The former Chhattisgarh CM listed his government's efforts to resolve the issue after 2018. He also acknowledged Union Home Minister Amit Shah's collaboration to take the fight as a shared national challenge.
However, Baghel was critical of the previous BJP government in the state.
"The BJP government (before the Congress government in 2018) in the state, which was in power for one and a half decades, was unwilling in the fight against Maoism; this was stated by the security advisor KPS Gill Sahab himself," he said.
"Our government came to power in 2018, for the first time, a Naxal eradication policy was formulated, a large number of camps were opened, roads were built, school bells rang, and we entered the lairs of the Naxalites and challenged them. The Union Home Minister Shri Amit Shah Ji provided cooperation in this fight, and we took it as a shared national challenge," he added.
On Friday, 208 Naxalites surrendered at an event organised in Bastar's Jagdalpur, holding the Indian Constitution as they were welcomed back into the mainstream.
According to officials, the surrendered group includes 110 women and 98 men, representing various ranks of the outlawed CPI (Maoist) organisation. Among them are one Central Committee Member (CCM), four Dandakaranya Special Zonal Committee (DKSZC) members, one Regional Committee Member, 21 Divisional Committee Members (DVCMs), 61 Area Committee Members (ACMs), 98 Party Members, and 22 PLGA/RPC/other cadres.
Among the top Maoist leaders who laid down arms were Rupesh alias Satish (Central Committee Member), Bhaskar alias Rajman Mandavi (DKSZC Member), Ranita (DKSZC Member), Raju Salam (DKSZC Member), Dhannu Vetti alias Santu (DKSZC Member), and Ratan Elam (Regional Committee Member).
During the operation, the Maoists surrendered 153 weapons, including 19 AK-47 rifles, 17 SLR rifles, 23 INSAS rifles, one INSAS LMG, 36 .303 rifles, four carbines, 11 BGL launchers, 41 twelve-bore or single-shot guns, and one pistol. (ANI)