📷 Image: Wikimedia Commons / Jebulon
Politics
PM Modi marks first Diwali without Naxal threat, celebrates with jawans in Bastar
✍️ India Today
🗓 08 Nov 2026, 07:01 PM
👁 10
Prime Minister Narendra Modi visited Bastar, Chhattisgarh on Diwali, declaring it the first festival free of Naxal activity and celebrating with security forces.
New Delhi, November 2023 – Prime Minister Narendra Modi travelled to Bastar district in Chhattisgarh on Diwali, marking what officials described as the first festival in the region without any Naxal presence. During the visit, the PM joined a contingent of central and state security personnel for a modest ceremony, lighting lamps and sharing sweets with the jawans.
Modi highlighted the decline of insurgent activity over the past years, attributing the progress to sustained operations by the armed forces and development initiatives in tribal areas. He thanked the soldiers for their perseverance and urged continued vigilance to keep the peace.
Local authorities welcomed the Prime Minister’s presence, noting that the symbolic celebration underscores the government's commitment to restoring normalcy in previously conflict‑prone zones. The event is being portrayed as a milestone in the long‑running effort to eradicate Naxalism from the region.
The Prime Minister concluded his visit by promising further infrastructural and welfare projects aimed at improving livelihoods in Bastar, reinforcing the message that peace and development go hand in hand.
Modi highlighted the decline of insurgent activity over the past years, attributing the progress to sustained operations by the armed forces and development initiatives in tribal areas. He thanked the soldiers for their perseverance and urged continued vigilance to keep the peace.
Local authorities welcomed the Prime Minister’s presence, noting that the symbolic celebration underscores the government's commitment to restoring normalcy in previously conflict‑prone zones. The event is being portrayed as a milestone in the long‑running effort to eradicate Naxalism from the region.
The Prime Minister concluded his visit by promising further infrastructural and welfare projects aimed at improving livelihoods in Bastar, reinforcing the message that peace and development go hand in hand.