The end of Maoism is near, but there is no political fanfare

NEDERHI: The March 31 deadline set by Home Minister Amit Shah to eliminate left-wing extremism (LWE) in the country is likely to be passed without incident as the aim is to create the right mental mindset among all stakeholders – security and police forces, local government, political top brass in affected states, Maoist leadership and cadres and the common man.While the March 31 deadline has dominated LWE discussions for the past year and a half, the actual date is unlikely to see any victory parades or chest-beatings, sources said. At most, it may be mentioned in political speeches and public speeches by dignitaries, especially when visiting countries that have been affected by LWE.

“The purpose of the deadline is to set a clear target… so that all hands are on deck and the anti-Naxal machinery can operate in mission mode and formulate a time-bound action plan to neutralize the leadership and initiate initiatives aimed at rehabilitating the former Maoists and rebuilding villages…”, a central government official said.The results were there for all to see: the entire CPI(Maoist) leadership – except for one Politburo member, Misir Besla and a key commander, Papa Rao – was either silenced or surrendered. The Communist Party of India (Maoist) is now no longer a cohesive unit but a loose group hiding in the forests.Chhattisgarh Director General of Police (Bastar Range) P Sundarraj told TOI: “Clearly, the deadline created a psychological pressure to decide between facing a bullet or taking a chance at a normal life… As senior colleagues fell in a hail of bullets, the remaining politburo and central committee members began leaning towards the latter option.”