NEW DELHI: The Indian government is bracing for an all-out war against the Maoists. The Maoist insurgency that started 42 years ago in 1967 has spread far and wide. It has virtually created a “Red Corridor” from the Nepal border in the north, running through nine states and over 200 districts, to Andhra Pradesh in the south. Ahead of the major offensive, Indian Home Minister P. Chidambaram on Friday visited the two Maoist-infested states of Jharkhand and Chhattisgarh to review the preparedness of the security forces for the impending offensive. The war will be waged in the Central and Eastern India, where the Maoist menace is at its peak now.
Salient features of the new policy involves calling out army for surgical operations and strikes; using air power for transportation for now; and using special forces as a back-up, while allowing the police to lead the primary operations. The army has been training specialized forces to deal with the Maoist onslaught.
The major escalation of the war against Maoists comes almost as a reversal of the policy of the ruling Congress. In 2004, Congress President Sonia Gandhi set up a high-powered committee to address the Maoist insurgency.
While several recommendations were acted upon like ensuring tribal rights, there was no effort holistic implementation of the recommendations. The Congress had adopted a three-pronged policy that was originally framed by M. Channa Reddy. The three-tier policy envisages giving democratic freedom for holding meetings; dealing with the law and order situation effectively; and development of the remote and backward areas. A Remote Areas Development Program (RADP) was formulated, which was approved by the Planning Commission. Even in Andhra Pradesh, after the law and order situation improved, nothing was done to tackle the socio-economic aspect.
