A thousand voices of a Naxal-free Odisha boarded a special train at Bhubaneswar New Railway Station on Tuesday, 27 October 2026 — carrying a message of peace, security, and progress all the way to Gujarat. The Chief Minister's Office of Odisha announced that Chief Minister Mohan Charan Majhi personally flagged off the train, bound for the Statue of Unity in Ekta Nagar, Gujarat, ahead of the 151st birth anniversary of Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel and National Unity Day on 31 October.

A thousand delegates, nineteen districts, one message

The train carries approximately 1,000 representatives drawn from 19 districts that Odisha's government has declared Naxal-free — a figure that underscores how dramatically the security landscape in eastern India has shifted over the past decade. These delegates will represent Odisha at the National Parade being held at the Statue of Unity complex, the world's tallest statue and a monument that has become the centrepiece of India's annual National Unity Day observances since 2018.

Speaking at the flag-off, CM Majhi said that under the guidance of Prime Minister Narendra Modi and the firm leadership of Union Home Minister Amit Shah, Odisha has become completely Naxal-free and is now on a fast track of development. He specifically cited the 'Gramodaya Plus' scheme — a programme channelling infrastructure and social development into formerly affected regions — as the cornerstone of that push.

National Unity Day and the Statue of Unity connection

National Unity Day has been observed every 31 October since 2014 to mark the birth anniversary of Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel, India's first Deputy Prime Minister and Home Minister, revered as the Iron Man of India for engineering the integration of over 500 princely states into the Union after 1947. The Statue of Unity — inaugurated in October 2018 — was conceived as a permanent symbol of that integration and now anchors the national parade each year.

Sending representatives from former conflict zones to celebrate Patel's legacy is a deliberate symbolic choice: the districts once synonymous with left-wing extremism now stand as proof of the state's unification narrative.

Odisha's Naxal-free milestone in context

Across eastern and central India, states have progressively reclaimed territory from left-wing extremist influence through a combination of security operations and development spending since the mid-2010s. Odisha's trajectory mirrors that broader pattern, with coordinated action by central and state forces gradually pushing Naxal activity back. The government's framing — linking the counter-insurgency achievement to a tribute for the architect of national integration — reinforces a political narrative that security gains and development must be celebrated together, not in silos.

Whether the 'Gramodaya Plus' scheme's infrastructure reach fully matches the ambition outlined by the Chief Minister will be the real test in the months ahead — and the districts sending delegates to Gujarat will be watching closely for delivery on those promises.