NEW DELHI: Union home minister Amit Shah on Sunday credited Prime Minister Narendra Modi for sending a “stern” message to the world that India’s blood is not meant to be shed. He was referring to Operation Sindoor, which targeted and destroyed terror bases in Pakistan following the April 22 Pahalgam terror attack in Jammu and Kashmir. Speaking at a public gathering in Lucknow, Shah said, “When they tried in Uri, they were met with a surgical strike. After Pulwama, they were met with an air strike, and after Pahalgam, the headquarters of terrorists were razed to the ground with Operation Sindoor. PM Modi sent a message to the whole world that India’s blood is not meant to be shed, and whoever dares to do this will be punished.” Shah was in Lucknow to attend a ceremony where over 60,000 newly selected police constables received appointment letters. Uttar Pradesh chief minister Yogi Adityanath handed over the letters to the recruits. Operation Sindoor was launched on May 7, following the April terror attack in Pahalgam that killed 26 people, most of them tourists. According to officials, over 100 terrorists linked to Jaish-e-Mohammed, Lashkar-e-Taiba, and Hizbul Mujahideen were killed in the operation. At the same event, Shah also criticised the Congress for its handling of terror-related incidents before 2014. “Terrorist attacks used to happen every day under Congress’ rule, Ahmedabad, Jaipur, Coimbatore, Delhi, and don’t even mention Kashmir,” he said.
‘Centre’s reforms were not visible in UP from 2014 to 2017’
Shah also said that the work to modernise police forces across the country began under Prime Minister Modi’s leadership. However, he added that such efforts started in Uttar Pradesh only in 2017, after the BJP government led by chief minister Yogi Adityanath took charge.“The Centre’s reforms were not visible in Uttar Pradesh from 2014 to 2017,” Shah said.Shah also said that India would become a global leader by 2047 and that Uttar Pradesh would have an important role in this.
By March 31, 2026, Naxalism will be eradicated from the country: Shah
Shah also spoke about the government’s efforts to end left-wing extremist violence. He said, “In 11 years of PM Modi, the country has gotten safe. Naxalism was prevalent in 11 states of the country. After these last 11 years of PM Modi, Naxalism is present in only three districts now. Don’t forget my words: by 31.3.2026 this country will be free from Naxalism.” In Chhattisgarh and its border areas, security forces have recently carried out several operations targeting Naxal groups. On May 21, 27 Naxals were killed in an encounter in the forests of Boter village. Two top Naxal leaders—CPI (Maoist) general secretary and Polit Bureau member Basavaraju alias Gaganna, and Central Committee members Gautam (alias Sudhakar) and Bhaskar—were also neutralised in recent months. Government data shows that incidents of Naxal violence dropped by 53 per cent in the last ten years (2014–2024) compared to the previous decade (2004–2014). There were 16,463 incidents between 2004 and 2014, and 7,744 incidents between 2014 and 2024.
