​Corridor of opportunity: on the end of Left Wing Extremism

India is now Naxal-free, Home Minister Amit Shah declared in the Lok Sabha on March 30, a day ahead of a deadline he had set for himself for ending Left Wing Extremism (LWE). His assertion follows three years of intensive paramilitary operations, during which 4,839 Maoists surrendered, 2,218 were arrested, and 706 were neutralised in encounters. Mr. Shah had made tackling LWE a central piece of his internal security policy, and of his political legacy. Not surprisingly, he made it a point to contrast the measures and milestones under his watch with those of the UPA regime on this front. Former Prime Minister Manmohan Singh had flagged LWE as the biggest internal security challenge before the country and his government launched Operation Green Hunt in 2009-10, an expansive paramilitary offensive that faced stiff criticism from his allies. The belt of Maoist influence, at its peak, touched over 180 districts covering tribal, forest, and mineral-rich areas in Bihar, Jharkhand, Chhattisgarh, Odisha, Andhra Pradesh and Maharashtra. The approach to tackling LWE then was more hesitant and measured, mindful of the human and institutional costs.

Mr. Shah launched an uncompromising militarist strategy which he reiterated in his speech. He said the government had a dual approach — dialogue and rehabilitation for those who surrendered arms, and no mercy for those who refused. His sweeping strategy steamrolled human rights activists and academics who were branded ‘urban Naxals’. Police measures went far beyond even the harsh provisions of India’s anti-terrorism laws, strangling freedoms and distorting judicial processes. The paramilitary operations have, in all probability, decapitated the military capabilities of the insurgents, opening the possibility of state presence in some of the least governed regions of the country. Mr. Shah said that a campaign to establish a school in every village and provide Aadhaar and ration cards to residents in some of the worst-affected areas has already begun. He is right that Maoists are ideologically opposed to parliamentary democracy, which is a position delinked from development or its absence. Nevertheless, inclusive development is imperative for a stable, peaceful society. The defeat of LWE extremism should not accelerate crony capitalist extraction of natural resources and further alienate tribal rights. Instead, it must lead to the genuine expansion of the rights of tribals, their substantive participation in parliamentary democracy, and accountability in resource extraction. Mr. Shah deserves credit for leading the operational success in curtailing LWE. He must now lead a politics of reconciliation and heal the wounds of the battle.