Union Home Minister Amit Shah on Monday launched a no-holds-barred attack on the Congress party in Parliament, alleging that Congress leaders who sympathise with Naxals have now become “Naxalites themselves”.Shah singled out former UPA chairperson Sonia Gandhi and Leader of Opposition in Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi, and said the Sonia Gandhi-led National Advisory Council (NAC) had Naxal sympathisers as members.Speaking in the Lok Sabha, where he declared that India had become Naxal-free due to the tough policy adopted by Prime Minister Narendra Modi since 2014, the Union Home Minister also cited instances where Rahul Gandhi was seen in the company of Naxal sympathisers.“They (Congress) cannot escape responsibility… From 1970 until March 2026, they supported Naxalism and massacres. The left-leaning Congress is responsible for 20,000 people killed in Naxal terrorism. This party and its Naxal-sympathising leaders have themselves become Naxalites. People will have to answer these leaders at the hustings. This issue will go to the court of the people,” Shah said.Earlier in his remarks, Shah spoke about the NAC, which Sonia Gandhi formed under Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, and said it was an extra-constitutional forum created to legislate for India.“Sonia Gandhi was its chairperson and Harsh Mander was a member. His NGO, Aman Vedika, had assigned a top responsibility to the wife of a senior Naxal leader. And this NAC was deciding national policy. Ram Dayal Munda used to say Naxal operations are very tough. This was tacit support to Naxalism. Shabnam Hashmi, Ram Puniyani, Usha Ramanathan, N.C. Saxena, Jean Drèze, and Farah Naqvi were all active. Vinayak Sen, who was found guilty in 2010 over Naxal links, was made part of the Planning Commission’s health steering committee. Congress leader Jairam Ramesh wrote to the then Chief Minister of Chhattisgarh to free Mahesh Raut, a Naxal,” Shah said.He named activists Nandini Sundar, Ramachandra Guha, and E.A.S. Sarma for their association with the Salwa Judum case and asked, “Will these so-called champions of human rights ever speak of the human rights of the girl whom Naxal cadres abducted, and who had not seen lipstick, nail polish, or henna in her entire life?”Adding that the Prime Minister’s Rural Development Fellowship was awarded to Mahesh Raut, Shah asked how Naxal spirits could be broken when the government of the day patronised Naxal supporters.Referring to a 2010 incident, he said then Home Minister P Chidambaram had given a statement in Chintalnar, Chhattisgarh, where 76 jawans were killed, and alleged that JNU celebrated the killings, with the Tricolour placed on the floor.Shah also attacked Rahul Gandhi, saying he had often been seen in the company of Naxals.“In his long political career, Rahul Gandhi has often been seen with Naxals and Naxal sympathisers. Many Naxal-supporting organisations participated in the Bharat Jodo Yatra he undertook. In 2010, in Odisha, he shared the stage with Lado Sikoka, who even garlanded him. In 2018, in Hyderabad, Rahul Gandhi met Gummadi Vittal Rao, who was close to Naxal ideology. In May 2025, Rahul Gandhi met members of the Coordination Committee of Peace. When Naxal commander Hidma, who killed 172 jawans, was neutralised by our forces and slogans were raised at India Gate saying ‘a Hidma will be born in every house’, Rahul Gandhi shared that video,” Shah said, accusing the Congress of protecting and patronising Maoist cadres.Invoking the Hindu philosophy of karma, Shah said, “I am a born Hindu and believe in the cycle of karma. Those who supported Naxals, even by their words, are as much sinners as armed cadres who perpetrated violence.”