India, March 31 -- Union home minister Amit Shah on Monday declared India "Naxal-free" as he blamed the Congress and previous governments for the decades-long insurgency, criticised a landmark Supreme Court judgment that had banned a controversial militia, and snubbed sympathisers.

Shah's 84-minute address in the Lok Sabha came a day before the government's deadline of March 31, 2026 to eradicate left-wing extremism in the country. Shah said in the last three years, 4,839 Maoists surrendered, 706 were killed, and 2,218 arrested and jailed.

"The central committee and politburo of the Maoists had 21 members in the beginning of 2024. Today, there is none. There were 37 state committee members in the Dandakaranya region. All of them have be...