During the meeting, Uikey and Modi discussed various issues including
Naxalism in Chhattisgarh.
"In the last four years,
Naxalism came down from 90 to eight or nine districts," the minister said in Mandi, some 140km from Himachal Pradesh capital Shimla.
Before talking of Urban Naxals, I would take a leaf from Kauravi's syndicate article on Nagalim and
Naxalism published in the Nation in Dec last year to apprise the readers about the actual Naxals.
The hearing saw the Centre opposing a plea by historian Romila Thapar and activist Maja Daruwala against the arrests by contending that
Naxalism was not just a problem bedeviling one state but also other states in the country.
That is how he was able to wean the poor peasants away from
Naxalism. It is worth recalling that while the Maoists grew elsewhere in the state, the area where JP stayed and preached peace remained free from Naxalite incidents.
Making an appeal to the Maoists to shun violence, PM Modi said that certain pockets of Banka district were affected by
Naxalism. "I would like to tell the youngsters involved in
Naxalism to give up the path of violence and join the mainstream," he said.
Countering
Naxalism With Development: Challenges of Social Justice and State Security
"
Naxalism [Maoist movement] is an important issue and has spread in hundreds of districts in India.