Someone from Sukma became a sub-inspector, a barrister from Bastar, a doctor from Dantewada and a collector from Kanker – Amit Shah

Union Home and Cooperation Minister Amit Shah addressing the Bastar Pandum program in Dantewada, Chhattisgarh-Photo- Prime Look

Union Home and Cooperation Minister Amit Shah on Saturday April 5, 2025 addressed the Bastar Pandum program in Dantewada, Chhattisgarh. Many dignitaries including Chhattisgarh Chief Minister Vishnu Deo Sai and Deputy Chief Minister Vijay Sharma were present on the occasion.

Dantewada: The Union Home and Cooperation Minister said that Maharaja Pravir Chandra Bhanjdev had sacrificed his life for the water, forest, land and culture of the tribes. He said that his popularity as a people-loving king was not tolerated by the then government and he was murdered under a conspiracy. Union Home Minister Amit Shah said that today when the whole of Bastar is on the verge of being free from red terror and has embarked on the path of development, the soul of Pravir Chandra ji, wherever he is , must be giving his blessings to the people of Bastar.

Amit Shah said that under the leadership of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, artists from every tribal district of the country will be included during Bastar Pandum from next year. He said that to give international fame to Bastar Pandum, the Modi government is taking ambassadors of all countries on a tour of Bastar and taking the tradition, culture and art of this place to the whole world. Union Home Minister Shah said that 47 thousand artists from 1885 Gram Panchayats, 12 Nagar Panchayats, 8 Nagar Parishads, one Municipality and 32 districts have participated in this festival. The District Administration and Culture Department has allocated Rs 5 crore for Bastar Pandum. He said that this Pandum will work to promote and preserve the local and traditional art, culture, crafts, festivals, food, dialect, language, customs, costumes, jewellery, traditional songs and music and cuisine in their original form, Amir Shah added.

The Home Minister said that we want the youth of our Bastar to get the most modern education, compete with the youth of the world on every platform and achieve prosperity all over the world but never forget their culture, language and traditions. He said that the culture, dialects, musical instruments and food of Bastar are the jewels of the culture of not only Chhattisgarh but the whole of India and we have to preserve it. Amit Shah said that the Bastar Pandum festival, which is being celebrated in seven categories, will be celebrated in 12 categories next year and tribals from all over the country will participate in it. The Home Minister said that the strength of India is unity in diversity, a confluence of various cultures, arts, traditions, languages, dialects and cuisines. He said that we will stand in every competition with the world but will also preserve our culture and other heritage and Bastar Pandum is the beginning of this.

The Union Home Minister further said that the time has gone when bullets were fired and bombs exploded here. He appealed to all the Naxalites to lay down their arms and come into the mainstream because Bastar wants development. He said that Prime Minister Narendra Bhai Modi wants to give everything to Bastar, but this is possible only when there is peace in Bastar. The children here should go to school, mothers’ health should be taken care of, tribals and youth should not suffer from malnutrition, there should be arrangements for the education of children, there should be a dispensary in every village and a hospital in the tehsil, only then development is possible. He said that all this can happen only when the people of Bastar decide that they will make every village Naxal-free. Union Home Minister said that the Chhattisgarh government has announced that the village which makes all the Naxalites surrender will be declared Naxal-free and will be given a development fund of Rs. 1 crore. He said that no one wants to kill anyone, that is why Naxalites should give up violence and come to the mainstream and the Government of India and the Government of Chhattisgarh will protect them. The Home Minister said that Naxalites cannot stop the development of the entire Bastar by taking up arms.

Amit Shah said that Prime Minister Narendra Modi has given the slogan of Vocal for Local and has made arrangements for marketing a specific product of every district in the markets across the country by linking it with GI tag. He said that Prime Minister Narendra Modi has said that history is not limited to books only, but our tribal leaders should receive respect and reverence in the entire country. Prime Minister Modi has done the work of honoring freedom fighters like Veer Gundadhur, the hero of Bastar. He said that Prime Minister Modi Ji has done the work of celebrating the birth anniversary of Lord Birsa Munda as Tribal Pride Day and the 150th birth anniversary year as Tribal Pride Year.

The Union Home and Cooperation Minister said that the previous governments gave the slogan of Garibi Hatao for 75 years but did nothing in the name of development of the poor. Prime Minister Modi Ji has built more than 4 crore houses for crores of poor people of the country in the last 10 years, provided 11 crore gas connections, built 12 crore toilets, provided tap water to 15 crore houses, gave free ration to 80 crore people and free treatment up to Rs 5 lakh to 70 crore people.

Shri Amit Shah said that those who have understood that for development, one needs a computer and not a gun in hand, and a pen and not IED and grenades, have all surrendered. He said that in the direction of ending Naxalism, 521 Naxalites have surrendered so far this year, while a total of 881 Naxalites surrendered in 2024. Shah expressed confidence that the Naxalites who give up arms will be able to move forward by joining the mainstream, but the security forces will deal strictly with those who take up arms and follow the path of violence. He said that the Modi government is committed to freeing the entire country from Naxalism by March 2026.

The Union Home Minister said that Bastar has now become synonymous with future and not fear. Earlier, politicians were forced to hold rallies and meetings due to the terror of Naxalites, Union Home Minister added .