Treat Maoists as enemies of the nation

The New Indian Express
Last Updated : 12 Jun 2011 11:27:37 PM IST

Striking for the third time in succession, the Maoists on Saturday ambushed a Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) team in Chhattisgarh’s Dantewada district, killing three security men. They had killed five security personnel in Bastar district on Thursday and another 10 in a landmine explosion the same night. The killings signify the renewed offensive by Maoists in the Bastar region, where they had been lying low since the massacre of 75 security personnel in April last year. Significantly this coincides with the army’s entry in the region to train its commandos in jungle warfare. Add to this statements made by a spokesman of the Maoists which made it clear that such attacks will continue till Operation Green Hunt is dismantled, the Maoists and their supporters in jail are released and the proposal to set up a training college, where the army will teach jungle warfare to paramilitary forces, is reversed.


No self-respecting government can give in to such demands and the only option for the state is to meet aggression with aggression. For this security personnel will have to be better trained, better equipped and, most important, adequately motivated. Unfortunately the UPA government’s attitude to the Maoists’ challenge is far from clear. While Union home minister P Chidambaram is concerned with the slowdown in anti-Maoists operations, the appointment of known Maoist sympathiser Binayak Sen on a Planning Commission committee sends a contrary signal.

This is bound to impact adversely on the fight against the Maoists. The UPA government must not vacillate on handling the Maoist menace and take a firm stand that there can be no dialogue with them unless they are willing to voluntarily lay down arms. The Maoists must be treated as enemies of the poor and anti-nationalists and dealt a decisive blow. The war against the Maoists should be stepped up as a national priority and partisan political considerations should not be allowed to blur its edge. If the UPA government dithers on this front, it would be failing to discharge its constitutional obligation to protect the life and liberty of the people