Naxals biggest enemies of tribals and poor, says Rajnath Singh

Bhopal: Union home minister Rajnath Singh on Saturday dubbed Naxals as “enemy of the tribals”, and regretted that the ultras are depriving the tribals of education by destroying schools in the area; whereas, on the other hand, they are sending their own kids to elite colleges and universities in India and abroad.

Flagging off the “Vikas Yatra” launched by Chhattisgarh chief minister Raman Singh from Dantewada,  in Bastar, the Union home minister said Maoists have mobilised huge money through extortions in the Left-wing extremism-affected areas of the country, and have been utilising the money for their personal benefits such as sending their children to reputed colleges and universities in India and abroad.

“The Naxals created a roadblock in the development of tribal areas by stopping construction of roads and bridges and have destroyed school buildings there. They want the tribals to remain illiterate and poor. They deprived the tribal children from education and destroyed the school buildings,” he said.

The Maoists were trying to mislead the tribals, but the latter have started realizing their design, he added.

He lauded the Chhattisgarh chief minister for carrying out developmental works and for spreading the road networks in Bastar despite the violence of the Naxals.

Mr Singh said he had never seen a chief minister with so much concern for all sections of the society, including the masons, carpenters, tendu leaf collectors, women and students.

“But forces like Naxals do not want development to take place. They are misleading the tribals and poor people,” he said. He also appreciated the measures taken by the Chhattisgarh government for improving the economic conditions in the tribal areas.“Emphasis has been given to develop road and telecommunication networks in Bastar division speedily,” he added.

Alleging that Naxal leaders were wallowing in luxury, he said they were, however, preventing the progress meant for the tribals and the poor. “Naxal leaders have become crorepatis. They send their children to study in prominent colleges and universities. Some of their children even study abroad. But they want the children of our tribal brothers to remain uneducated,” he said.