PM Modi slams Congress over past Naxal violence

Prime Minister Narendra Modi launched a scathing attack on the Congress on Monday for decades of unabated Maoist violence in the country and said the hands of those who are waving the Constitution now were trembling then.

Addressing the "Republic Summit 2026", Modi also said Bharat is not only a fast-growing economy, but also a credible and reliable global power, and the country is scripting the future of the next 1,000 years.

He said the previous Congress governments had labelled Naxal-affected areas as backward regions but the NDA government undertook the challenge of transforming those areas, helping the people there rise above despair and igniting their aspirations for progress.

To reflect this new approach, Modi said his Government renamed those areas as aspirational districts and blocks and today, these aspirational districts and blocks are driving the growth of those regions.

He said a significant proportion of the population in these regions lived in poverty, but over the last few years, 25 crore people have overcome poverty, with aspirational districts playing a crucial role in this achievement, and those areas that were once affected by Naxalism are seeing new rays of development now.

The prime minister said even in the 21st century, terrorists had prevented any facility from being established in the tribal areas. He added that even a government vehicle could not pass through, as it would be riddled with bullets.

Governments came and went, generations came and went, and it seemed that this misfortune of violence would persist just like that, Modi said.

"Between 2004 and 2014, more than 17,000 violent incidents occurred due to Maoist terrorism and nearly 7,000 lives were lost. After 2014, we moved forward with the resolve of Nation First to change the situation.

"Today, Maoist terrorism in the country is counting its final breaths. This became possible because it required total dedication. Today, those who are waving the Constitution, their hands were trembling to even show the Constitution, then," he said.

Congress leader Rahul Gandhi has been seen carrying a copy of the Constitution for different occasions, including while taking oath as an MP after the 2024 Lok Sabha polls.