“The geographical spread of LWE violence has also been shrinking considerably. In 2022, LWE related violence incidents were reported from 176 PSs in 45 districts spread across 8 States as compared to 328 PSs in 76 districts spread over 10 State in 2013. The arc of violence has been considerably restricted with just 25 districts accounting approximately 90% of the LWE violence. The CPI (Maoist) continues to be the most potent among the various LWE outfits in the country and accounted for more than 90% of total violent incidents and 95% of resultant deaths of LWE affected state. Amidst increasing reverses, the CPI (Maoist) has been making efforts to expand to new areas along inter-State borders without any significant success. With the Maoists forced to remain on the back-foot in most of the States, it is time to consolidate the gains in order to end this menace once and for all”. –Annual Report 2022-23, Ministry of Home Affairs, Govt of Bharat, p. 9
Union Home Minister Amit Shah is repeatedly giving assurance about eliminating the menace of Maoist terrorism, popularly known as Naxalism, by March 2026. The actions of the security forces on the ground and the coordinated strategy of the States, along with the central agencies, approve the intent. What are the reasons for this strategic success against the old and severe security threat to Bharat, and what possible pitfalls can be?
Strong political will is one of the most important reasons for the significant retreat of the Maoist terrorists in the central parts of Bharat. Union Government, under Prime Minister Modi, has a clear vision and strategy to eliminate the inhuman and destructive ideology of terror. For the first time, the MMC region – Maharashtra, Madhya Pradesh and Chhattisgarh – and Odisha have Governments led by the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP). This single factor has expedited the inter-State coordination. Unfortunately, the historical Dandakaranya has been reduced by the terrorists as the special zone or strategic centre of the Red Corridor. The real strength of these enemies of Bharat has been the financial inflow they have created through some illusionary ideas of revolution, which some reports estimate is more than a thousand crores. The systematic and integrated approach of the Government after Covid-19 has tightened the screws to curb this financial oxygen to the violent movement. The focused approach of the Chhattisgarh Government in the Bastar region through strong security mechanisms supported by infrastructural connectivity is facilitating the all-out operation against the anti-tribal terrorists.
The number of Maoists surrendering is a positive sign but not sufficient to achieve the objective of dismantling the terror ideology. Naxalism as a movement was dead and gone in the 1970s. Like Islamic terror organisations, the Communist ideology has mutated towards Maoism via the Peoples War Group (PWG), Maoist Leninist Centre (MCC) and many terror outfits. The real threat is their ability to build narratives through a pliable ecosystem and penetration into the Government apparatus. Earlier, Naxalism and now Maoism were never about tribal people and their rights. Their leadership was always urban, educated, and mainly from middle-class, upper-caste families. The dense forest of Dandakaranya was just a strategic base for Maoists. They made innocent and nature-friendly tribal communities, deeply rooted in the Sanatan traditions, cannon fodder in this unending war. They thrived on money-spinning political activities supported by extortion, drug trafficking, money laundering and arms smuggling. Despite all their dark deeds against forests and forest-dwellers, they created the narrative of underdevelopment and human rights. Their masters in urban spaces, active in academia, media, and the legal field, helped them create this soft corner in society. The ideology that intends to overthrow the Constitutional democracy through violent revolution has acquired the face of ‘liberators’. Their strategy of ‘building a Tactical United Front (TUF) of classes similarly placed to the working classes and military tactics involving sabotage actions and select assassinations by ‘action teams’ as explained in the paper on Urban Perspective is the real contemporary challenge. Some opposition parties are also trapped in this game, and openly calling for war against ‘Bharatiya State’. This is a worrisome sign.
The battle to eradicate the Maoist terror from the forests of Dandakaranya is at a decisive stage. However, we need a revamp of the intellectual space to defeat the dangerous and dehumanising ideological force that works through civil society organisations. While continuing with the security actions against the anti-human groups, the fake narratives about the Maoist movement must be exposed, and soft targets must be sensitised. Besides the Home Ministry, Education, Culture and Tribal Ministries also have a significant role in this fight to save Bharat from the tactical mutation of the anarchist and anti-people forces.
