RAIPUR — Union Home Minister Amit Shah on Tuesday said Chhattisgarh has become Naxal-free and is poised to rank among the top three states in the tourism sector in the coming years, IANS reported. Addressing the closing ceremony of the Chhattisgarh Rajyotsav in Naya Raipur, Shah said the state possesses immense tourism potential, pointing to the Gariaband region, the Balameshwari temple, Dantewada's Danteshwari temple and the unique Bastar Dussehra festival.
Source: IANS via hi INDiA
Shah recalled that it was once said of Chhattisgarh that the land is rich but the people are poor, and assured that within 10 years both the land and its people would be prosperous. The goal under Prime Minister Narendra Modi's leadership, he said, is a state where people are happy and affluent and the land itself is thriving. He noted that of the 26 years since the state's formation, the BJP has been in power for 20 years. Shah praised the large turnout despite heavy rain, offered Foundation Day greetings and paid respects to 'Chhattisgarh Mahtari'. The closing ceremony was presided over by Chief Minister Vishnu Deo Sai, distinguished individuals were honoured with State Awards, and Shah earlier inaugurated the Viksit Bharat Sankalp Park in Naya Raipur, IANS reported.
Source: IANS via hi INDiA
Hospital, women's transfer and a charge against Congress
During the visit, Shah inaugurated the Artemis Shanti Hospital in Raipur, built at a cost of Rs 400 crore, ANI reported. In a post on X he wrote that Chhattisgarh, once known for Naxalite violence, is today progressing rapidly as it becomes Naxal-free, and that the 350-bed super-speciality hospital, equipped with 11 Centres of Excellence and advanced robotic surgery facilities, will provide tertiary-level medical services across central India. He also disbursed Rs 632.62 crore directly into the bank accounts of over 67.4 lakh beneficiaries under the state's flagship Mahtari Vandan Yojana, ANI reported.
Source: ANI via Daily Prabhat / Khelja
Shah also alleged that the Congress had nurtured Naxalism for decades instead of working to eradicate it — an allegation reported by IANS from Raipur on Tuesday. The Congress has questioned the government over Bastar; Chhattisgarh Chief Minister Vishnu Deo Sai hit back on Tuesday, alleging the previous Congress government had failed to tackle Naxalism with resolve and saying it had no right to ask such questions, ANI reported.
How this follows Shah's October milestone claim
Tuesday's declaration follows Shah's earlier statement on October 21, at the National Police Commemoration Day parade, that India's decades-long fight against Naxalism reached a milestone on March 31, 2026, when the country attained freedom from the insurgency. Shah had then said Naxalism had plagued several districts since 1981, claimed the lives of security personnel and civilians — more than 13,700 innocent civilians by his count — and that Chhattisgarh had borne the highest number of casualties among security forces. The Rajyotsav address applies that national claim specifically to Chhattisgarh, the state long seen as the insurgency's centre.
What happens next: Shah's pitch rests on delivery — whether the Naxal-free claim holds across all affected districts will be tracked by security analysts, and the tourism claim sets a public test: a top-three ranking in the coming years, alongside the prosperity promise he set at 10 years.