Congress Rajya Sabha MP Pramod Tiwari, reacting to Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s remarks during the NDTV World Summit 2025 on Saturday, said the Congress party continues to stand firmly against all forms of violence and extremism, including Maoist and Naxalite threats.
Addressing the summit, Prime Minister Modi had alleged that the Congress party, while publicly displaying allegiance to the Constitution, had been harboring Maoist insurgency. He had said, “Those who pretend to be copies of the Constitution continue to harbor Maoist terrorism.”
Reacting to the Prime Minister’s statement, Tiwari told ANI that the Congress party has not backed down in the face of violence. He also recalled the loss of almost the entire leadership in Chhattisgarh due to Maoist attacks. The Congress leader said, “We fought against the British and made many sacrifices. Fought against terrorists, we saw the martyrdom of Indira Gandhi and Rajiv Gandhi and countless Congress leaders sacrificed their lives. We lost almost the entire leadership of Chhattisgarh because of the Maoists and Naxalists… We faced them. did not surrender and Neither bowed down. We fight against them.” The Congress leader further said, “We want to say clearly that whoever uses violence in the country, we will always stand against him.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi said on Friday that 303 Naxalites have surrendered in the last 75 hours. He said that the day is not far when the country will be completely free from Naxalism and the festival of Diwali is going to be truly special in areas free from Maoist terrorism. Addressing the NDTV World Summit 2025 here, Prime Minister Modi said that Naxalism has been used loosely by some people, but “in reality it is Maoist terrorism.” He said that Maoist terrorism is “a big injustice against the youth of our country, is a grave sin” and he cannot leave the youth of this country in such a situation.
The Prime Minister said he felt a deep uneasiness within himself, but remained silent for a long time. “Today for the first time, I am sharing my pain with you,” he said. Taking a dig at the Congress, he said an entire ecosystem of urban Naxalites had developed during its rule at the Centre. “These urban Naxalites were so influential earlier and are so influential even now that they are creating widespread awareness to prevent incidents of Maoist terrorism from reaching the people of the country. Run censorship campaigns. There was a lot of discussion on terrorism in our country and debates on Article 370. But during the Congress rule, the urban Naxalites who flourished in our cities and captured various institutions worked to hide Maoist terrorism. He kept the country in the dark.”
