Union Home Minister Amit Shah has sharply criticised the Opposition’s Vice Presidential nominee, former Supreme Court judge Sudershan Reddy, over his 2011 Salwa Judum ruling. Speaking to ANI, Shah claimed the verdict prolonged Naxalism in India for two decades.

“He disbanded Salwa Judum. He ended the right to self-defence for Adivasis. That is why Naxalism has sustained for two more decades. At that time, Naxalism was on the verge of dying,” Shah said.

According to him, the Supreme Court judgment weakened security deployments in tribal areas, leading to further attacks on CRPF and state police units. He argued that Salwa Judum—a movement where tribal youth were armed as Special Police Officers (SPOs)—was meant to protect villagers demanding development.

Sudershan Reddy’s Response

Reacting to Shah’s remarks, Justice (retd.) Reddy clarified that the 2011 verdict was a Supreme Court judgment, not a personal decision.

“Judgement on Salwa Judum was Supreme Court’s, not mine. I do not wish to join issue with Home Minister,” he told PTI, adding that the VP election was about “two different ideologies, not two individuals.”

What Was the Salwa Judum Verdict?

The 2011 Supreme Court ruling, authored by Justice Reddy, declared the Chhattisgarh government’s practice of recruiting and arming tribal youth as SPOs to fight Maoists illegal and unconstitutional. The court ordered immediate disarmament of these SPOs, popularly known as “Koya Commandos.”

While critics said Salwa Judum led to human rights abuses, its supporters—including Shah—view it as a grassroots defence force against Maoist insurgents.

NDA’s VP Candidate CP Radhakrishnan

Meanwhile, the NDA has fielded CP Radhakrishnan as its Vice Presidential candidate. The Opposition claimed his nomination was aimed at Tamil Nadu politics, but Shah denied it:

“It is natural for the VP candidate to come from the South… CP Radhakrishnan has a long political career as MP, party president, and Governor,” he said.

On criticism of Radhakrishnan’s RSS background, Shah retorted that leaders like Vajpayee, Advani, and Modi were also connected with the Sangh.

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