Mumbai, Jun 6 (PTI) Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis on Friday said the back of Naxalism has been broken and urged remaining Maoist rebels to lay down arms and join the mainstream.

The surrender of Naxalites with bounties of more than Rs 1 crore on their heads shows they have lost trust in the outlawed movement, he told reporters in Gadchiroli, some 900 kilometres from here. Gadchiroli in the state’s Vidarbha region is among the Left Wing Extremism (LWE) affected areas of the country.

Asserting that the surrender of ultras in his presence was a message to their colleagues, the CM said those laying down arms want to join the mainstream and be loyal to the country and Constitution.

“The back of Naxalism is broken. There are very few active Naxals in Maharashtra. This is a message to the remaining rebels to surrender or face action. They will be arrested or neutralised. If they surrender, they will be rehabilitated as per government policy,” the CM said.

Fadnavis expressed happiness at 13 erstwhile Naxalite couples tying the knot in a mass marriage ceremony.

“They are starting their lives afresh after struggling in the jungles with weapons,” he added.

The comments come amid a relentless push by security forces against Naxalites in neighbouring Chhattisgarh.

Senior Maoist leader Narasimha Chalam alias Sudhakar, who had a bounty of Rs 40 lakh on his head, was killed in an encounter with security forces in Chhattisgarh’s Bijapur district on Thursday.

On May 21, Nambala Keshav Rao alias Basavaraju (70), the general secretary of the outlawed Communist Party of India (Maoist) and the movement’s foremost leader, was neutralised by security forces in Narayanpur in that state’s Bastar region.

As per police, these deaths have delivered a crippling blow to the Maoist leadership, particularly in Dandakaranya region, which covers south Chhattisgarh and border areas of Maharashtra, Telangana, Andhra Pradesh and Odisha. PTI MR BNM