The Maoists are once again on the rampage, killing innocent people and targeting security personnel and national infrastructure. Over the years the number of security personnel and civilians killed by the insurgents has gone up substantially. So much so even Prime Minister Manmohan Singh admitted at the Directors-General of Police conference last month that Left-wing extremism is “the gravest internal security threat” to the country. While saying so Mr Singh made a frank admission that not much success has been achieved in containing the menace and the violence perpetrated by the Maoists is on the rise. To counter the threat a nuanced strategy and a holistic approach are required, he said.

However, Mr Singh is not the first Prime Minister to have made such a statement. In the past few decades every Prime Minister talked about the need to tackle Red terror. Unfortunately, despite this realisation, the Maoists — overtly or covertly — continue to run a parallel Government in the areas they hold control on by solving land disputes on their own and imposing taxes on the villagers. According to Union Home Minister P Chidambaram, Maoists have presence in 18 of the 28 States and they are responsible for 90 per cent of the violence in the country.

The Maoist movement started during the 1960s in the Naxalbari region of West Bengal and soon spread to other neighbouring States of Bihar, Orissa, Madhya Pradesh and Andhra Pradesh. Today the Red Corridor has spread its wing far and wide to Maharashtra and down south to Andhra Pradesh, Tamil Nadu and Karnataka.

So how did it manage to expand so far? The Prime Minister put it succinctly, “Despite its sanguinary nature, the Maoists managed to retain the support of a section of the tribal communities and the poorest of the poor in many affected areas. It has influence among certain sections of the civil society, the intelligentsia and the youth. It still retains a certain élan. All this adds to the complexity of the problem.”

Still our Governments have been unable to contain the Maoists? It is because they know that the authorities are not coordinated and cannot act at once. Incidents like Jehanabad jail break and the recent beheading of a police officer in Jharkhand are classic examples of their behaviour. Singur and Nandigram show their hold on the villagers. They target corrupt officials and politicians. Their method of killing is gruesome. Villagers support them out of fear. Jobless youth in badly underdeveloped areas get attracted to their concept. They have their own network and operate in an orchestrated manner. Maoists kill political leaders and take hostages, kidnap officers, blast railway tracks, indulge in arson looting, jail breaks and, in short, adopt guerilla warfare.

They operate from remote tribal areas where the police have limited or no reach. The Maoists claim to champion the cause of the poor and landless and manage to fund their activities from collection of compulsory donations from industrialists, contractors and land lords.

Alarmed by the growing menace the Centre now wants to change its strategy in dealing with the Maoists. The suggestion of hawks to delink the anti-Maoist drives from development seems to have found favour with the Home Minister. The priority is to first clear the area from the Maoist influence before undertaking development works. With the Union Government hinting at a massive operation against the Maoists has provoked them to resort to more killings. The capture of some of their top leaders and seven Polit Bureau members has also angered them which is apparent from their recent mindless violence.

Perhaps the Government is looking back to 1971 when massive anti-Maoist operations with the help of the Army were used to stop their illegal activities. However, times have changed and so have Maoists’ modus operandi. They have improved methods of communication, own upgraded arms and remain secretive about their plans. The Home Ministry has ruled out Army deployment against the Maoists and it will be the paramilitary forces which will form the buffer zone.

However, before launching such a drive, the Government has to ensure certain things. First of all preparations for any anti—Maoist drive should be effective enough to take it to the end. Second, the Government must make sure that the local people are taken into confidence. Coordination between the Centre and the concerned State is vital to fight against the Maoists and intelligence sharing among the Maoist-affected States should be ensured.

The Union Government seems to have realised the urgency to counter the Maoists and with local authorities it has launched a huge publicity campaign to make people aware of the Maoist menace. But more than strategy and resources it is the will power of the Government that will ensure a decisive victory against the Maoists.