Hyderabad: Development of tribals cannot be achieved in areas affected by Left-wing extremism (LWE), BJP national president Nitin Nabin said on Monday, citing Bastar as an example of how sustained anti-Naxal operations had paved the way for progress of the region.He said Maoist activity had seen a sharp increase after the Congress came to power in Chhattisgarh in 2018, but said the BJP, under Union home minister Amit Shah’s leadership, had intensified security operations to free Bastar and other Maoist-affected pockets across Chhattisgarh, Jharkhand and Telangana from LWE.Addressing a meeting of tribal leaders in Warangal, Nabin said decades of Maoist influence had prevented even basic land surveys in several tribal areas, depriving communities of their rights.“Development and extremism cannot go together,” he said, asserting that the BJP was committed to the all-round development of tribal communities.Highlighting the Modi govt’s tribal welfare initiatives, Nabin claimed that while the previous UPA govt had allocated around Rs 4,000 crore for tribal welfare, the BJP-led NDA had increased the outlay to nearly Rs 15,000 crore. He said the Centre was investing in education, healthcare, infrastructure and livelihood programmes to improve the socio-economic conditions of tribal communities.Recalling Warangal’s historical significance, Nabin said the spirit of Sammakka and Saralamma continued to inspire tribal women in Telangana and reflected the community’s tradition of courage and sacrifice.
