Introduction:
According to Maoist ideology, economically oppressed peasants and the working class will overthrow the oppressive capitalist bourgeois class to establish a classless society through armed revolution.
Rapid economic growth, an aspirational youth, and opportunities created by advancements in communication and mobility act as strong counterforces to economic class-based divisions.
Body:
Strategic Clarity and Coordination:
- To achieve strategic victory over Naxalist violence, there must be clear delineation of roles and responsibilities between central and state governments.
- An honest assessment of the capabilities, operational philosophies, mindset, willingness, compulsions, and resolve of security forces involved in anti-Naxalite operations is essential.
- A realistic timeframe is necessary to effectively address and eliminate this menace.
Effective Tactical Warfare:
- At the tactical level, Naxalist warfare can be successfully countered by an agile, stealthy, enduring, and disciplined commando force recruited from local youth and trained by state police.
- Example: The Greyhounds of the erstwhile Andhra Pradesh police exemplify an effective state police commando force.
Economic and Environmental Dimensions:
- Maoist influence thrives in contiguous forested areas of Jharkhand, Chhattisgarh, Maharashtra, Odisha, Telangana, and Andhra Pradesh due to deep-rooted financial interests.
- These regions are rich in minerals such as bauxite, iron ore, limestone, marble, dolomite, coal, and copper, as well as pristine forests rich in timber and Minor Forest Produce (MFP).
- The value chain in these natural resources offers significant profit margins for the extractive industry and contractors, providing Maoists with opportunities for extortion and protection money.
- With the implementation of the Panchayat (Extension of Scheduled Areas) Act 1996, gram panchayats now auction MFP, including bamboo and tendu leaves, impacting the local economy and Maoist activities.
Conclusion:
- An integrated approach is required to combat Naxalist violence, including:
- Counter-offensive operations led by well-trained, disciplined, agile, and stealthy commando forces of state police.
- Expansion of road networks from the periphery to the core of liberated zones, constructed under the security cover of central forces or by specially raised engineering units of central forces.
- Rapid expansion of mobile communication and commercialization of economic activities.
- These measures represent a slow but steady and irreversible path to success in addressing Naxalist violence.
Legacy Editor Changed status to publish December 19, 2024