NEW DELHI: Union Home Minister Amit Shah on Friday appealed to Naxals to give up violence, lay down arms and surrender, saying an all-out operation will otherwise be carried out against them.

Addressing 55 victims of Naxal violence from Chhattisgarh at his residence here, Shah also said that Maoists will take their last breath on March 31, 2026.

He said Prime Minister Narendra Modi has decided that Naxal violence and ideology will be wiped out from the country.

"I appeal to Naxals to give up violence, lay down arms and surrender as the militants in the northeast have done. If you do not listen, then an all-out operation will be carried out soon to end the menace," Shah said.

The Union home minister said security forces have achieved significant success in their operations against Maoists as the problem is now confined to just four districts of Chhattisgarh.

He said that Maoists once had planned to establish a corridor from Pashupatinath (Nepal) to Tirupati (Andhra Pradesh) but that was destroyed by the Modi government.

The Ministry of Home Affairs will soon chalk out a welfare scheme for Naxal violence-affected people of Chhattisgarh, in close coordination with the state government.

"We will help you in whatever way we can through our welfare measures in jobs, healthcare and other areas," he said.