Naxalism is at all-time low in Gadchiroli: Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis

Fadnavis said that he was also keen to hold the charge of Gadchiroli as its Guardian Minister.

Mumbai: Naxalism is at an all-time low in Gadchiroli and the district is being transformed as the next steel city of India, Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis said on Wednesday. 

“Gadchiroli is being transformed as the next steel city of India…there is a significant change in the ground situation. Naxalism is at an all-time low,” said Fadnavis, who is also the state Home Minister. 

Several Maoist leaders and commanders have surrendered in the recent past, he said. 

Fadnavis said that he was also keen to hold the charge of Gadchiroli as the Guardian Minister. 

As far as the talks on the issue of Guardian Minister is concerned, state BJP President and Revenue Minister Chandrashekhar Bawankule is holding talks with Deputy Chief Ministers Eknath Shinde, who is the Chief Leader of Shiv Sena and Ajit Pawar, who is the NCP President. 

“Usually, the Chief Minister does not keep any specific responsibilities of any district. However, I must say that I am keen to be the Gadchiroli district’s Guardian Minister…if the three of them (Shinde, Pawar and Bawankule) want, I will surely take it up,” Fadnavis told reporters in his hometown of Nagpur, the hub of Vidarbha region. 

Referring to the brutal murder of a sarpanch in Beed district, Fadnavis said his government had taken the incident seriously. "We will not tolerate lawlessness. But it is wrong to defame the Beed district," he said, adding that people involved behind the murder would not be spared.