Beyond Naxalism: A chance for lasting peace

Union Home Minister Amit Shah’s declaration in Parliament that India is now Naxal-free – a day ahead of the March 31 deadline set for eradicating the insurgency threat – is true to a large extent. The Naxalite movement held sway over more than 200 districts spread across states, including Chhattisgarh, Telangana, Andhra Pradesh, Odisha, Maharashtra, Madhya Pradesh, Jharkhand, and Bihar. Shah said the Red Corridor has been reduced to two districts. It is claimed that 20 of the top 21 leaders in the Naxalite hierarchy have been neutralised – 12 killed, seven surrendered, and one arrested. The ranks have also dwindled after consistent pressure exerted by the security forces. No major Naxalite action has been reported in the last few months.

Naxalism is no longer the political or security threat it once was in the country. The fall can be traced to multiple reasons. Poverty and unequal social and economic conditions in the forested regions of central and eastern India are not as extreme as they were a few decades ago. The State’s welfare schemes have covered large sections of the marginalised population. Most areas in the Red Corridor have seen improved infrastructure, including roads and communication channels. This shift has helped the region make important socio-economic connections. It has also helped security forces operate more efficiently in the affected areas. Naxalites may no longer exist as an organised insurgent force. But it may be too early to declare that the movement has been vanquished. Land alienation, exploitation, and governance gaps remain India’s realities. As long as the circumstances that led to the rise of Naxalism exist in some form, the ideology will retain a marginal presence.

The Home Minister also used the declaration to politically attack the opposition Congress party, former Prime Minister Indira Gandhi, and the Leader of the Opposition, Rahul Gandhi. The charge that Congress governments encouraged Naxalism is unfounded. In 2006, then Prime Minister Manmohan Singh described Maoist violence as India’s single biggest internal security threat. Successive governments have fought Naxalism as an ideology and practice. The current dispensation has achieved a military and strategic victory through means that have, at times, been questioned. The next challenge is to consolidate this success by making development real and inclusive for the region's people, enabling them to realise their civil and democratic rights. That would be the most formidable measure against the movement's resurgence.